Healthy Bite's Trading Licence Renewal Bid Gets a Boost

Borough planning team withdraws its objection

Healthy Bite is positioned near 253 Chiswick High Road

July 4, 2026

Healthy Bite’s bid for a further six-month street trading licence has received an unexpected boost after Hounslow’s planning department formally withdrew its objection. The application, originally scheduled for decision on 23 June, was pulled from the Licensing Panel agenda following the change in position and will now be determined on 8 July. The withdrawal removes one of the more significant hurdles facing the long-running Chiswick High Road food stall, although objections from local businesses remain on file.

The shift came on 26 June, when the borough’s planning team contacted licensing officers to confirm that, on further review, they no longer believed the stall required planning permission. Their statement said the operation “would not be of a scale or degree of permanency that would require planning approval,” reversing the stance set out earlier in the consultation. The planning department had not objected during last year’s renewal, but its intervention this time had added weight to concerns raised by nearby traders and ward councillor Joanna Biddolph, who argued that the stall enjoyed an unfair commercial advantage and contributed to congestion on the pavement.

Healthy Bite has traded from its pitch opposite 253 Chiswick High Road since December 2019, serving falafel wraps, chicken and halloumi wraps, salads, soups and fresh juices from a 2m by 3m stall positioned in front of a street tree. The licence is temporary and must be renewed every six months, with each application subject to full public consultation regardless of previous approvals. The stall’s most recent licence runs until July, and the new application seeks permission to continue operating daily between 10am and 4pm.

This year’s consultation has drawn objections from two nearby businesses, both of which argue that weekday trading creates an uneven environment for rate-paying premises. Concerns have also been raised about queueing, pedestrian obstruction, waste, and the use of LPG cooking equipment in a busy area. One business owner has called for the stall to be limited to weekends, in line with other market-style operations. Temporary street trading decisions carry no right of appeal.

Despite the objections, Healthy Bite has historically attracted strong public support, with more than 30 customers writing in favour of last year’s renewal and praising the stall’s food, affordability and contribution to the character of the High Road. The removal of the planning objection simplifies the issues now before councillors, narrowing the decision to matters of pavement management, public safety and commercial fairness.

The Licensing Panel will meet on 8 July to decide whether Healthy Bite can continue trading through the second half of the year.