Ice cream licensing consultation - Russell Square

Overview

Camden Council introduced seven licensed ice cream trading sites at various locations across Camden in 2020, which were made permanent in 2022 to combat the air pollution and carbon emissions caused by illegal ice cream vehicle engine idling. This ice cream licensing project aims to change the use of parking/loading bays at specified locations to allow licensed ice cream traders to trade from a dedicated bay with an electrical power supply, eliminating the need for engine idling.

This scheme was designed following feedback from residents and visitors to the borough relating to air quality concerns at multiple locations where unlicensed street trading was taking place.

The Council are proposing to create an additional permanent trading pitch in Russell Square for green and sustainable ice cream trading, eliminating the air pollution and carbon emissions currently emitted through the illegal trading in the area. 

The specific location proposed is at the southern corner of Russell Square, near the junction with Montague Street. A map illustrating the specific location can be found below in the “related documents” section at the bottom of this page.

Trading will take place on this site permanently following an interview-based selection process. The licensed trader will agree to trade from a battery-operated vehicle (fully electric) without their engine idling. The site will have a trading licence agreement with terms and conditions, in line with the London Local Authorities Act 1990 (as amended). Ice cream selling at each site will only be allowed by the holder of the licence agreement, and they will only be permitted to trade during the agreed-upon hours (usually 7am-7pm).  

Residents and stakeholders can make formal representations on the proposed parking bay conversion in Russell Square by providing feedback to this public consultation.  This consultation will run for six weeks, after which the Council will consider any representations made.

Please complete the survey to feedback on any comments on the scheme.

Applicants will be required to meet the following criteria that will improve the standard of ice cream trading and the local environment:

• Food hygiene certification
• Clearly advertised pricing
• Healthy options such as frozen yoghurt or fruit
• Ability to run on electric/battery, rather than the engine, to reduce air pollution
• All trader assistants to be registered with the Council

Why your views matter

Currently, ice cream vans may trade without a street trading licence provided that they stop for no longer than 15 minutes to serve customers, then move on and do not return to the same street within the same day, unless itinerant ice cream trading is prohibited on that street.

Within the London Borough of Camden, a number of streets prohibit itinerant ice cream trading. However, with current enforcement resources, there is limited capacity to monitor these locations continuously. As a result, unlicensed ice cream traders continue to operate regularly in prohibited streets during the summer months, generating complaints relating to engine idling, air pollution, noise and other associated impacts.

There are also wider concerns relating to air and noise pollution, breaches of parking restrictions and vehicles stopping in unsuitable or unsafe locations, including locations which may obstruct visibility for pedestrians and other road users.

Traditionally, many ice cream trading locations have not had access to a mains electricity supply. Conventional ice cream vans may therefore need to run their engines to provide power for refrigeration and other equipment. This can contribute to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) emissions, affecting air quality for traders, customers and surrounding communities.

As part of a new approach, Camden Council is seeking both to reduce illegal street trading and to minimise the environmental impact associated with ice cream trading. A robust selection process will therefore be used for licensed sites, and at locations where a fixed electricity supply is not available, only fully electric ice cream vehicles or trailers will be permitted to trade.

This approach supports cleaner and more sustainable trading while enabling the Council to exercise greater control over authorised sites. We recognise that meeting the fully electric requirement can involve significant investment for traders, and a number of operators are already replacing or upgrading their vehicles in order to meet this standard.

Although there are currently no plans to install a fixed electricity supply at this site, there may be scope to consider this in the future should there be an identified need and subject to feasibility and available resources.

The key objectives of the scheme are:

• To reduce the number of unlicensed street traders operating within the borough;

• To provide greater oversight of ice cream trading through licence conditions, including requirements relating to healthy food options, the display of prices, hygiene certification, public liability insurance and the registration of assistants;

• To create a source of income through the issue of temporary licences on an experimental six-month basis for the sale of ice cream;

• To reduce crime and disorder associated with unlicensed itinerant ice cream trading by ensuring that licences are issued only to suitable traders, including requiring a satisfactory DBS check where appropriate; and

• To reduce vehicle emissions and improve local air quality by requiring traders operating at sites without a fixed power supply to use fully electric vehicles or trailers.

As part of this new approach, we would like to hear your views on the proposed scheme and provide you with an opportunity to submit comments.

Your feedback will help inform the development of future sustainable ice cream trading sites and support the Council’s wider aim of reducing unlicensed street trading across the borough.