Permission Sought for Fourth Sunday Market

Food Street would offer stalls with cuisines from around the world

The Chiswick Flower market has proved to be a huge success

February 1, 2023

An application has been submitted to Hounslow Council for another market in the centre of Chiswick to be held on the fourth Sunday of each month.

The market, which would be called ‘Food Street’ would contain up to 65 stalls and, if the application is approved, the hope is to launch in the spring and emulate the success of other markets held at the site including the Flower Market. It the go ahead is given, it would mean that a market would take place every Sunday in Chiswick apart from when there are five Sundays in a month.

British Street Food will be running the market in partnership with Blue Collar which hosts food markets across the Home Counties.

The food offered would be from around the world with Thai, Indian, pizza, Vietnamese and Swedish among the cuisines listed in the application. It says it intends to rotate the stalls with different food traders appearing every month.

The man making the application is Richard Johnson, a long-term Chiswick resident, who runs a food events company and has launched a range of awards for street market businesses.

In a statement with its submission it says, “Food St is a new market celebrating the best of Chiswick’s food community. For four hours a month on the 4th Sunday, in the Old Market Place, we’ll showcase the amazing street food traders, restaurants, retailers, growers and producers that we have on our doorstep - with food demos and fun for the kids - and try to establish our home as a proper foodie hub. The sort of place that gets noticed by the Sunday supplements – a market that the people of Chiswick will be proud of.”

The application commits the traders to remove all waste from the site after the market ends and, if a generator is required for electricity, it will be of a silent make.

The market would stretch from the area by the police station now commonly known as Old Market Place down to 123 Chiswick High Road, the South Beach Day Spa.

A number of existing hospitality businesses operating on the High Road have expressed some concerns about the possibility of a market. They fear that revenue could be reduced on one of their better trading days during the month, further compounding an already difficult operating environment.

Local councillor Jo Biddolph said, “Although the description is that it is a celebration of local food businesses including growers and producers, it seems unlikely that all 65 stalls will be taken up by locals. Richard's website says the stalls will be run by Blue Collar and local traders are concerned that outside street food traders will be brought in, competing with bricks and mortar shops and taking Chiswick money out of Chiswick. Bricks and mortar shops invest in the area at a very high level - rates, rent, reinvesting, loyalty to regular local customers - and have a lot of red tape. Outside street stalls have much less red tape and far lower costs. If local traders take part in the market, they will have to pay for their stall, and staff them, as well as their bricks and mortar premises. Then there is the issue of competition - stalls selling the same type of food as our cafes/restaurants puts them at risk. And there's fact that markets bring customers to the centre, away from other parts of Chiswick. “

There is already a weekly food market in Chiswick held at Dukes Meadows a social enterprise which raised funds for the maintenance and improvement of the riverside area.

Representations about the application need to be made to the borough Licensing Department. Details of how to do so are on the council’s web site.