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Can the Council Move My Catering Van Off an Industrial Estate?

by jane capewell
(United Kingdom)

Catering van parked outside an industrial estate in the UK

Catering van parked outside an industrial estate in the UK

I am loooking to buy a catering van on an industrial estate. Its bin there for four years. It's parked on the pavement. Thay have a licence to sell food. They say it's on no man's land i want to no if the council could move me on with them not paying rent to any one

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Apr 02, 2026
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by: MobCater

Hi Jane,

This is a really important question to ask before you hand over any money, and I'm glad you're thinking about it now rather than after the sale.

The honest truth is that there's no such thing as "no man's land" in the UK. Every piece of land is owned by someone, whether that's a private landowner, a business, the council, or the Highways Authority. If the van is parked on a public pavement, that pavement is almost certainly owned and maintained by the local council. And if nobody is paying rent or has a formal agreement, then the current owner is trading there without proper permission, even if they've got away with it for four years.

The fact that someone has been there for a long time doesn't give them (or you) an automatic right to stay. The council can issue an enforcement notice or ask you to move at any time if you don't have a street trading licence or consent for that specific location. Four years of trading without permission is four years of being lucky, not four years of building legal rights.

Before you buy, there are a few things I'd strongly recommend doing. First, go to your local council's licensing department and ask whether there is a street trading consent or licence in place for that exact location. If there isn't, you need to know what it would cost to get one and whether the council would even grant it. Second, find out who actually owns the land. If it's private land (which some industrial estate verges and access roads are), you'd need the landowner's written permission. If it's a public highway or pavement, you'd need the council's consent.

The seller saying "they have a licence to sell food" is not the same as having permission to trade from that specific spot. A food business registration (which is what they probably mean) is about food safety, not about where you're allowed to park and trade. Those are two completely different things.

My advice would be to do your homework before committing. Spend a week or two researching the pitch. Talk to the council. Talk to nearby businesses. Find out who owns the land. If everything checks out and you can get proper permission in your own name, it could be a decent opportunity. But if the pitch depends on nobody noticing or nobody complaining, that's a risk you'd be paying for.

Good luck with it,

David

Disclaimer: This is general advice for UK mobile catering. Licensing rules vary between councils, so always check with your local authority before you start trading.

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