City Council Letter Template

Nick Rowley, Head of Property Services

Chief Executive’s Office

Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PP

Tel: 0191 232 8520 Fax: 0191 2115521

E-Mail

Our Ref:JR/5703/4C

Your Ref:

6th February 2009

Dear Sir/Madam

NEWCASTLE FARMERS’ & COUNTRY MARKETS

Friday 4th April, 2nd May, 6th June, 4th July, 1st August, 5th September 2008

Please find attached an application form for you to complete if you wish to be considered for a stall at the above market. Set out below is information for you to consider, and criteria that you must satisfy before you will be considered for a stall.

Location - Area below Grey’s Monument at the top of Grainger Street, Newcastle upon Tyne – see attached plan

Time - Trading from 9.30am to 2.30pm on each Market day

Licence fee - The licence fee is £45 per stall per Market day. If your application is successful, we will request payment of the licence fee in advance – PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY WITH THIS APPLICATION. If the Licensee is prevented from trading for any reason other than cancellation of the Market by the Licensor, the licence fee shall not be refundable.

Stalls - The City Council will allocate, supply and erect 8’ x 4’ Market stalls with canopies.

Vehicles and access/exit arrangements- No vans/ trailers or vehicles of any kind will be permitted to remain on the market place, either to trade from or to store goods and unloading will be before 9am and loading after 2.30pm.

Traders must arrive before 8.30 and all traders must unload and remove their vehicles from the vicinity of the market (this includes all of the area around Grey’s Monument and the top of Grey Street) by 9am. Any trader arriving after that time will not be permitted to trade at the market and no refund of the licence fee shall be payable.

See attached plan/instructions for access arrangements.

Local production - All products sold on the Market must be raised, grown or produced within a 50-mile radius of the site of the market, as specified in the definition of “own produce” below. Producers from up to 100 miles radius may be considered if there is no suitable application from a local producer of a given product.

Producer - A stallholder will be permitted to sell his or her own produce only and any employees of the stallholder who attend the Market must be directly involved in the growing, raising or production of the goods sold.

Where the stallholder is a community/local growers association the association will be permitted to

appoint a representative to attend the Market to sell the produce of the organisation on their behalf,

provided that the representative is also directly involved in the growing or producing of some of the products on sale. Each producer represented on the stall will be required to fill in a separate application form.

“Own produce” is defined as:

Where a primary product (e.g. unprocessed produce such as raw meat, poultry, vegetables, plants) is sold – that the produce has spent at least 50% of its life on the stallholders land

Where processed meat, poultry or vegetable products are sold - that the principal ingredient fits the criteria for a primary product above
Where processed food products (other than meat, poultry or vegetables) are sold – that they are produced within the defined radius. Preference will be given to the most local producer of a given product when a space becomes available at the market, without compromising quality. No bought in produce may be resold without further processing. Wherever possible all processed goods should contain at least 10% ingredients of local origin.

Where craft products are sold – that the products have been made within the defined radius.

The stallholder will be required to post the following information clearly on their stall:

- prices - trading name – where products are produced

Food Safety/Trading Standards - The stallholder will be responsible for obeying all relevant legislation including Food Safety/Hygiene and Trading Standards Regulations where appropriate. Successful applicants must provide us with confirmation that they have registered their food premises with the appropriate Local Authority.

Please contact the following direct if you have any queries regarding food safety and/or trading standards:

Doug Fox – Food Safety Team Leader -Tel: 2116133

Dave Ellerington – Asst. Trading Standards Team Leader - Tel: 2116137

Please note that we work closely with the above teams and provide them with a list of traders for each month’s market. They regularly visit the market to inspect traders and their produce.

Genetically Modified Goods – No genetically modified produce or goods containing genetically modified ingredients may knowingly be sold.

Stall allocation - The overall priority will be to achieve a balanced mixture of uses but the following criteria will be taken into account where a large number of producers apply to sell the same product:

–primary products – producers closest to the market

–processed food products – producers using the most locally produced ingredients

–craft products – producers who use local materials.

If you wish to apply for a stall and you can satisfy the criteria set out above, please complete the application form attached and return it to my office.

Please note that the selection of traders for the Farmers and Country Market is at the Market Manager’s sole discretion.

Successful Applicants - Successful applicants will be informed as soon as possible after the closing date, and will be sent a detailed Licence Agreement that will include, amongst others, the above provisions. Once you have been informed that your application has been successful, the Licence Agreement must be completed and returned with a cheque in the sum of £45 per stall per day together with a copy of your current public liability certificate and confirmation that you have registered your food premises, whereupon a stall will be allocated.

NB: - If you find are unable to trade on the specified date you must inform us immediately. Traders providing less than 48 hours notice will not be allowed to trade on the following Farmers’ & Country Market day.

Unsuccessful Applicants – This market is very popular and is always over-subscribed, however the number of market stalls is limited to a maximum of 24 each month and this means that some applicants will no doubt be unsuccessful. If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date please assume that your application has been unsuccessful, however your details will be kept on the mailing list so that you have the opportunity to apply again in the future.

If you require further details or need assistance in completing the application form please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours faithfully

Jane RoseLLB (Hons)

Markets Support Officer

Tel: 0191 2115512 (direct line)

Nick Rowley, Head of Property Services

Chief Executive’s Office

Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8PP

Tel: 0191 232 8520 Fax: 0191 2115521

E-Mail

Newcastle Farmers’ & Country Market

at Grey’s Monument

~ APPLICATION FORM – to be completed in full ~

Applicant’s full name ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Business/Community/Local Growers Assoc. Name (if applicable) …….………………………………….

Address ……………….…………………………………………………………………….…………………………

………..…………………………………………………………..Post Code……………………....………………...

Telephone Number(s) ………….…………………………….Mobile No ………………………………………...

Fax Number ………………………………………………. E-mail Address ……………………………………

Web Site ………………………..…………………………. Date of Application ……………………………..

How did you find out about this Market: Press/Mailing List/Word of Mouth/Other………………………

Please indicate below which dates you are applying for;

Friday 4th April 2008- Yes/No

Friday 2nd May 2008- Yes/No

Friday 6th June 2008 - Yes/No

Friday 4th July 2008 - Yes/No

Friday 1st August 2008 - Yes/No

Friday 5th September 2008 - Yes/No

Please list below ALL produce that you intend to sell, giving as much detail as possible. You will only be permitted to sell produce listed below and may be asked to remove any undeclared items. If you change your trade or develop new lines, you must fill out a new application form.

Please complete ALL sections, scoring through any that are not applicable to you.

PRIMARY PRODUCTS

Meat and Poultry (e.g. beef, lamb, chicken, eggs)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vegetables (e.g. potatoes, carrots, tomatoes)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Fruits (e.g. strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Herbs (e.g. basil, chives, parsley)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Plants/food plants/seeds (please itemise)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Has the above produce spent at least 50% of its life on the stallholder’s land? - YES/NO

If so, where is the stallholder’s land (if different from applicant’s address)?…………….………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For primary meat products, all producers must have documentation available at each market that shows where the livestock has been reared in order to ensure traceability of all meat sold at the Market. Acceptable documentation comprises copies of livestock movement records for cattle, sheep and pigs, stamped and dated by your abattoir.

PROCESSED MEAT, POULTRY OR VEGETABLE PRODUCTS

Meat Products and Poultry Products (e.g. sausages, burgers - please specify type of meat/poultry)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vegetable Products

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Has the principal ingredient of the above produce spent at least 50% of its life on the stallholder’s

land ? - YES/NO

If so, where is the stallholder’s land (if different from applicant’s address)?…………….………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS (OTHER THAN MEAT, POULTRY OR VEGETABLES) (e.g. breads, pies, quiches, cheeses, cakes, jams, drinks)

Please detail the products you are selling, indicating where they have been made (if different from applicant’s address) where the main ingredients have been produced and what percentage of local produce is used. You should keep receipts as proof of local origin for verification when requested by Trading Standards.

ProductWhere products madeOrigin of ingredients% of local

ingredients

………………………………………………………………..…………………………………… …………………….

………………….………………..…………………………..…………………………………… …………………….

*Any licensee proposing to sell alcoholic drinks must produce evidence of an appropriate Justice’s licence.

CRAFTS

Please detail the crafts you are selling, indicating where they have been made (if different from applicant’s address) and if possible, details of where the principal materials used have been produced.

CraftWhere crafts madeWhere materials produced

…………………………………………………………………..……………………………………

………………….………………………………………………..……………………………………

PRODUCER

Name(s) of person(s) who will be selling the produce:-

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What position/relationship do the above have with your business/organisation (please see covering letter under heading of “producer”):-

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please note that no vans, trailers or vehicles of any kind will be allowed to remain on the Market place, either to trade from or to store goods.

An electricity supply is NOT available. If your produce requires chilling/heating, how will you achieve this?…………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………….

Do you need to bring a generator? Yes / No – Give details ……………….………………………………………

Do you need to bring a chiller or freezer? Yes / No - Give details ………………………………………………..

Please note that generators/chillers/freezers will not be allowed into the Market without written consent, and that they will need to be placed within the confines of the area allocated and be properly maintained and silenced.

Do you have any special requirements regarding the set up of the stall (e.g. removal of boards or removal of front or back bars to make space for chiller)?

Give details ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Each trader will have to make their own arrangements for handwashing and toilet facilities.

Each trader will be required to carry a minimum of £5 million public liability insurance. If your application is successful, a copy of your current insurance certificate will be requested in advance (if we do not already hold a copy on file).

Please note that any applicant selling raw meat together with ready to eat foods (whether pre-packed or not) must be licensed under the provisions of the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene)(Butchers Shops) Amendment Regulations 2000.

I/we the undersigned hereby apply for a Farmers & Country Market stall at a rent of £45 per allocated space per day. If your application is successful, we will request payment of the rent in advance – PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY WITH THIS APPLICATION.

IMPORTANT NOTE – ANY TRADER WHO FALSIFIES INFORMATION ON THIS FORM WILL BE IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDED FROM TRADING.

I/We understand that this transaction is subject to contract and that the final selection of traders for this Market is at the sole discretion of the Markets Manager. Please see information under heading of “stall allocation” on second page of covering letter, which sets out the producers who will be given priority.

I/We further understand that, if this application is successful, it will be necessary to enter into and complete a Farmers’ & Country Market Licence Agreement.

Signed: ……………………………………………………………… Date: ……………………..

This Farmers’ Market has become increasingly popular and is always over-subscribed, but we only have space for 24 stalls per month. This means that some applicants will unfortunately be unsuccessful. If you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful, however your details will be kept on the mailing list so that you have the opportunity to apply again in the future.

For further details/assistance please contact Jane Rose/Doreen Blakemore Tel. No. (0191) 2115533

This application form should be returned to:

The Markets Manager,

Property Services,

Civic Centre,

Newcastle upon Tyne,

NE1 8PP