By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: A Bath shop has won a battle to be able to have a stall outside during Bath Christmas Market — in last minute victory on the morning the market started.
In previous years, Gift shop Pinkart has had a stall outside its storefront on York Street during Bath Christmas Market. But last year it was ordered to remove it for creating a pinch point for crowds causing the company losses as they had already paid for stock.
Now after a licensing battle to have a stall again this year, the shop only has won the right to do so in an eleventh hour victory on the morning of the first day of Bath Christmas Market. Bath and North East Somerset Council’s licensing committee met in the Bath Pump Room to decide their application on the morning of November 28 while outside the window crowds began to mill about the market stalls on Kingston Parade.
The case was brought before the committee after local councillor Paul Roper (Kingsmead, Liberal Democrat) lodged an objection to the application for street trading consent and a pitch outside Pinkart for the duration of Bath Christmas Market. He wrote: “Last year at the Christmas Market they set up an unauthorised stall selling food and drink and the authority had to take enforcement action.
“This application appears to me to be a way of setting up shop during the Christmas Market without paying the normal fees for a place in the market.” He said it would disrupt the flow of pedestrians and detract from the “pleasant ambiance.”
But Svilena Nikolova and Tim Coffey from Pinkart told the committee that last year the stall had operated without issue throughout the market in 2022 and that the pinch point issue last year happened after the market sited a chalet directly opposite their shop. They added that they had spent the last year working on the proposals with the council’s licensing and highways officers and with Bath Christmas Market — none of whom had objected.
Mr Coffey said: “It did cause an issue last year. This year [Bath Christmas Market] have left us a bigger space outside — even bigger than 2022.”
Pinkarts plan to sell a “selection of homemade beverages” from their stall, including mulled wine, mulled cider, Italian hot chocolate and Belgian waffles. Ms Nikolova added: “We are a Bath independent business and this pitch is extremely important.”
Councillors on the licensing subcommittee said they would allow the pitch and grant the licence as applied for. Their decision stated: “Members found that the proposed pitch was unlikely to have an effect on public safety, amenity, nor would it create an obstruction.”
Mr Coffey said: “We think that we we are happy that our hard work over the year has resulted in the right decision being made.”
Bath Christmas Market will run until Sunday December 15. Pinkart’s own stall will be permitted to run for the same duration, from 10am-8pm seven days a week.
Bath Christmas Market draws flocks of visitors to the city and has been named the UK’s best Christmas market.
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