Healthy Bite Granted New Six-month Licence

Councillors reject calls to curb trading hours of High Road stall

Healthy Bite is positioned near 253 Chiswick High Road

July 14, 2026

Healthy Bite will continue serving wraps and juices on Chiswick High Road after councillors approved a fresh six-month street trading licence, concluding that objections from nearby businesses did not justify restricting or refusing the stall’s operation.

The decision, published this Monday (13 July), follows a Licensing Panel hearing held on 8 July, where councillors considered the long-running food stall’s application to renew its temporary licence for the pitch opposite 253 Chiswick High Road. The panel granted the licence in full, allowing trading from 10am to 4pm daily, and re-imposed three existing conditions covering packaging, cooperation with police, and safe storage of propane cylinders.

The outcome marks the end of a protracted renewal process that began in June and was complicated by an unexpected intervention from Hounslow’s planning department. As reported earlier this month, planning officers initially objected to the stall’s continued operation before reversing their position on 26 June, concluding that Healthy Bite “would not be of a scale or degree of permanency that would require planning approval.” Their withdrawal removed one of the more significant hurdles facing the trader and narrowed the issues before the Licensing Panel to matters of competition, pavement management and public safety.

Two objections from nearby businesses remained on file, raising concerns about lunchtime competition, pedestrian obstruction, waste, and the use of LPG cooking equipment. Ward councillor Joanna Biddolph appeared at the hearing on behalf of one objector, arguing that the stall’s weekday presence created an uneven commercial environment for rate-paying premises and should be limited to weekends or have its hours reduced to avoid the lunchtime peak.

Councillors considered those arguments but ultimately found no grounds to justify refusal or a reduction in hours. The panel noted that Healthy Bite has traded from the same 3m by 2m pitch since 2019, offering a relatively narrow menu due to limited refrigeration, and that the policy does not require the council to shield existing businesses from all forms of competition. The decision states that the panel was “not satisfied that the evidence before it demonstrated such a level of adverse impact on nearby businesses as to justify refusal of the application or a reduction in trading hours.”

Concerns about pavement obstruction were also dismissed. Photographs in the agenda showed adequate pedestrian space, and councillors highlighted that standard conditions require a minimum clear footway of 1.8 metres. The applicant confirmed that waste is collected daily under a contract with Lampton Services and that the stall is regularly checked by the food safety team.

The panel also took into account the stall’s established presence and compliance history. Healthy Bite already held a temporary licence due to expire on 12 July, and the applicant indicated they were content for the existing additional conditions to remain in place. Councillors noted that the stall typically begins setting up around 11am and closes around 3pm, even though the licence permits trading from 10am to 4pm.