Sheffield: City centre markets planned to create ‘vibrant street food scene’

SHEFFIELD (Agencies): New “mini street food markets” are set to be created in Sheffield in a bid to draw visitors to the city centre.

Sheffield Council said it wanted to work with vendors to stimulate “a vibrant street food scene”.

Under plans approved by councillors on Wednesday, the city’s “outdated” street trading rules will be revised to encourage businesses to set up stalls.

This could also help to bridge the gap between the day-time and night-time economies, the local authority said.

The council aims to work in partnership with existing businesses such as Peddler Market in Kelham Island, Kommune food court in the city centre and Steelyard, which operated Fargate’s troubled container park until it closed last month.

“Bringing together the top brands from around the UK nationally and regionally is a recipe for success and an on-street offer that there is a huge hunger for,” said Steve Lonnia, lead officer for the night-time economy.

In a report to the council’s waste and street scene committee, he said: “The street food movement over recent years has become a well-established global phenomenon and in the UK is an exciting development in the culinary offer of towns and cities, with gifted food entrepreneurs choosing to bring their menus to the streets rather than through the more traditional route of a restaurant kitchen.

“The current street trading system is outdated; it does not reflect the new vibrant street food scene and the street trading legislation restricts the council’s options to move forward.”

Mr Lonnia said a high-quality street food offering in the city centre could “add to the vitality and viability of the street scene, draw visitors between the sites and crucially, increase their dwell time and spend time in the city”.

Responsibility for street food vendors in the city centre will pass from the council’s licensing department to the markets service, under plans signed off by the committee.

The proposal will now need to win the approval of the full council in March before the change can take effect.

Courtesy: bbc