The historic St Giles’ Fair continues operating through longstanding agreements with the Showmen’s Guild, which differ from standard street trading permissions applied elsewhere in Oxford.
This framework operates separately from the standard consent regime governing most commercial activity throughout the city.
Oxford’s licensing framework classifies all roads and public spaces within the city boundary as designated consent streets, meaning any form of selling, exposing, or offering items for sale requires explicit authorisation from the local authority unless a specific exemption applies.
Fees for new central location applications are set at £458, with annual renewals costing significantly more depending on site specifics.
A mobile food business in Oxford has encountered difficulties conducting operations in St Giles’ after construction barriers blocked access to its designated location.
Oxford City Council officials have requested that a licensing sub-committee formally confirm and prolong the suspension of street-trading permissions for Solomon’s Kebabs at this location.
On July 13, the operator discovered metal hoardings positioned around the pitch situated outside the Ashmolean Museum.
These barriers had received approval from Oxfordshire County Council but were installed without informing the city council in advance.
Following this incident, both councils have established protocols to prevent similar communication failures occurring again.
The temporary suspension ensures the operator is not required to pay fees while the pitch remains inaccessible.
Council officers are seeking authority to maintain the trading suspension either until mid-October or until such time as the barriers are dismantled, whichever occurs first.
A meeting scheduled for Monday will see councillors examine the matter.
Investigations explored whether alternative positioning within the same layby might permit continued trading.
These options were ultimately dismissed.
The business relies on an electrical connection housed within the barricaded area, which traders themselves flagged as presenting safety risks and therefore unusable.
Positioning trade operations alongside the barriers would have left inadequate road space for vehicles to pass safely.
Shifting further along the layby would have necessitated using a portable generator, an asset the business does not own, with hiring or purchasing expenses deemed financially unviable.
Any relocation to a more distant position would require submitting a fresh application for street trading consent, a process requiring sub-committee approval before operations could resume.
Given the scarcity of viable locations throughout Oxford’s central zone and the delays involved, this alternative proved impractical.
Attempts to obtain a statement from Solomon’s Grill were unsuccessful.