The Market Place is available for use by community groups who have charitable purposes or who operate on a not-for-profit basis. The diary of activities in the Market Place is maintained by the town council Information Centre, so you can check availability there. Booking forms are available to download below.
To confirm a booking, we require a completed booking form, a copy of your public liability insurance and a completed risk assessment for your event. The booking will not be confirmed until we have received all paperwork and you should not advertise the event before this is done.
The town council does not charge community groups to hire the Market Place. The only cost for an event is for use of electricity if required, currently £13.25 inclusive of VAT for the bollard per day.
If you wish to fundraise you will need a licence to collect cash. An application must be made to the District Council Licensing Team to assure that income is going to the correct charity and this can take up to five weeks. The link is also in the booking form and you should apply after you have your date and event plan agreed with us.
Regular users
Please note that Mondays are reserved for the Charter Market, although a Bank Holiday Monday may be available as the Charter Market does not operate on Bank Holidays.
The third Friday in the month is reserved for the Farmers’ Market.
The Town Council diary has dates for the local excellence Saturday markets and craft fairs.
Sale of food on the Market Place
‘Natasha’s Law’ came into effect in October 2021 and requires food businesses to clearly provide:
– the name of the food
– a complete list of all the ingredients and with the 14 allergenic ingredients emphasized (for example in bold, italics or a different colour) on the labels of foods prepackaged for direct sale on the premises (PPDS).
For further information and to ensure you are complying with this law, please see information here and a guide here.
Sale of alcohol on the Market Place
The town council has a licence to sell alcohol on the Market Place and, subject to terms and conditions of the licence and the town council’s policy, you may be able to ask to sell alcohol under this licence. Please request this well in advance, with at least four weeks’ notice for this to be considered.
In order to sell alcohol under the licence you must designate a person who will be at your event at all times whilst alcohol is being sold and that person should hold a Personal Licence. There is a fee of £12.25 (inc. VAT) payable by all organisations in order to be given permission to sell alcohol. We are aware that many organisations using the Market Place are not-for-profit or charitable but the charge is made to cover the Council’s costs in administering the important requirements of the alcohol licence.
If you are unable to nominate a Personal Licence holder you may still be able to obtain permission to sell alcohol dependent on the nature of your event and the availability of a Council Personal Licence holder on the day of your event. If permission is given then a fee of £102 (inc. VAT) is payable.
Markets
The town council operates a number of commercial markets – the weekly Monday Charter Market and the monthly Farmers’ Market. The Market Place is available for other markets but the town council will have to approve these markets. If you wish to apply to organise a market you should aim to give as much notice as possible and a minimum of four months so that your application can be considered by the Community Services Committee. For more information please e-mail the Town Clerk at townclerk@abingdon.gov.uk
Please email your completed booking forms back to enquiries@abingdon.gov.uk
