Car Boot and Table Top Sales
Following a review this Council no longer operates a formal authorisation process for Car Boot Sales and Table Top Sales. We will normally allow a small number of sales per year at the same location without requiring authorisation - but you should note the comments below regarding planning consent, etc.
Car Boot Sales and Table-Top Sales are governed by Planning Regulations - so it is important that organisers ensure that the location they intend to use for such an event does have the necessary planning consent in place. Up to a maximum of 14 Car Boot Sales / Table-Top Sales can be held per year without the need for planning permission - if they are held on land that is not within the curtilage of any building (i.e. in an open field). If the land being used does have buildings on, planning advice must be sought. Please contact the Council's Planning Department for such advice by email on:
We would encourage organisers of sales to respect the spirit of the long-standing Market Charters, which state that no Car Boot Sale / Table-Top Sale should be held within six and two-thirds of a mile (10.72 km) of a Charter Market on a market day.
In addition, we would ask organisers to keep the following points in mind when organising a car boot sale:
a) Location - Sites should not conflict with surrounding uses - especially in housing / residential areas.
b) Traffic - Adequate parking provision should be made for both stall holders and customers.
c) Nuisance - Noise and litter are important environmental considerations. Both site location and management should seek to minimise such problems.