City centre licensing concerns raised at public meeting

A public meeting has taken place between resident and trader stakeholders in the greater Society Street area of the city and Derry City and Strabane District Council officers.

Arranged by Duncan Curry, the manager of Society Street Indoor Market, the meeting was held in the First Derry Presbyterian Church Hall on Wednesday morning.

Its purpose was for stakeholders to receive a briefing on how the road closure and parking logistics of Council’s Hallowe’en Festival - specifically the Awakening the Walled City Trail, a nighttime trail along the the city walls which runs from Tuesday, October 28 to Thursday, October 30, from 6pm to 9pm - would impact the area.

The Council officers, from the Culture, Marketing, and Environmental Health departments, were also presented with a report compiled by Mr Curry that reviewed issues which arose during last year’s Hallowe’en Festival in the greater Society Street area.

These centred on the removal of five outdoor stalls from Society Street due to what Mr Curry described as “the threat of Derry City and Strabane District Council prosecution”.

According to Mr Curry, the stalls trading on Society Street during the Hallowe’en Festival 2024 were trading inside the Society Street Indoor Market and on Society Street, which is adjoining Society Street Indoor Market, at the same trading hours.

“All of these stalls had met the legislative requirement for street trading licence exemption under the Street Trading Act 2001 and should not have been removed,” he added.

“In addition, having examined all of the available evidence regarding Derry City and Strabane District Council’s awarding of temporary trading licences in its area, it is clear Council has shown a religious discrimination against certain organisations and groupings in Society Street, due to their political and religious beliefs.

“We can see this demonstrated in the disproportionate number of temporary street trading licences being used for events held by these organisations.

“Whilst Society Street Indoor Market is completely cross-community, with stall holders from all ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs and political affiliations, and with no cost implication to Council in its seven year existence, the evidence provided in terms of Derry City and Strabane District Council officers enforcing rules and regulations on Society Street Indoor Market but not enforcing the same rules on other groupings and events within the Derry and Strabane area make it seem there is one set of rules for Society Street and a different set of rules for the rest of the city.

“Sadly Society Street Indoor Market has fallen victim to this religious based discrimination due to its geographical location next to the Apprentice Boys of Derry Memorial Hall and to name of the building it rents - Britannia Hall. We are now in 2025 and in this shared city, Derry City and Strabane District Council should be setting an example. The same rules should be applied to everyone," said Mr Curry.

Speaking to The Derry News, DUP councillor Chealsea Cooke, described the public meeting as “positive”.

Ald Cooke said: “There were some outcomes that stall holders and residents from Society Street have got answered.

“There are some ideas for Council officers to take away and come back [to stakeholders about] but I think all in all some questions were answered.

“I think the main part of the meeting in regards to licencing and street trading could not be answered today because the Council officer responsible wasn’t at the meeting.

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“I think it was also positive that there is going to be a follow-up meeting, sooner than any previous year so it gives us more time to ensure the issues the traders and the residents have don’t keep happening and we end up back in the same spot next year again.

“I think all in all it was positive and I look forward to getting some of the issues thrashed out at the next meeting," said Ald Cooke.

In a statement to The Derry News, a spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council “confirmed officers met at short notice today [Wednesday] with traders from Society Street Market and residents in the surrounding area to hear their concerns about the implications of the Halloween programming plans on the area”.

The spokesperson added: “Officers were happy to give an update on the plans to date and heard concerns which were primarily focused around access and the impact on parking.

“A trader who operates the indoor market expressed a number of concerns around licensing which will be addressed at a future meeting with a member of the licencing section.”

The spokesperson said the Council would continue to work closely with them to help alleviate their concerns during the festival.