Trading from trunk road lay-bys

You must seek permission first from Transport Scotland before you are allowed to trade from a trunk road lay-by.  

If you are a prospective trader you will need to write to Transport Scotland (either letter or e-mail) giving us the following information:

  • Location plan (or details of location) of lay-by
  • Site plan of lay-by showing proposed site (can be provided as sketch) indicating any appropriate dimensions
  • Details of what is to be traded
  • Details of vehicle/trailer (photographs of the vehicle/trailer would be useful)
  • Trading hours
  • Traders name and address
  • Street Traders Licence (if already granted by Council)
  • Proof of Public Liability Insurance to the value of £5 million.*

We will send you an acknowledgement when we receive your letter and assess the suitability of the lay-by for your trading activity.  This assessment generally involves a review of the following:

  • Check if a permission to trade has already been granted for the lay-by. For reasons of road safety, Transport Scotland only permits one trader to operate from a lay-by at any one time.
  • Consult with the trunk road operating company and Transport Scotland Area Manager responsible for managing the route.
  • Check the geometric suitability of lay-by to accommodate a trader - adequate length, width, peripheral visibility from both junctions and forward visibility for vehicles on the trunk road approaching potential right turning vehicles entering the lay-by.
  • Check accident records.

Once these checks have been carried out and we are satisfied you can safely operate from the lay-by, we will issue a standard conditional letter of permission to trade.  In order for the letter of permission to be validated you will need to acknowledge you are willing to operate subject to the conditions and forward a copy of your traders licence and Public Liability Insurance (to a minimum  value of £5m)  to Transport Scotland. 

If your request fails the assessment, we will write to advise you why trading would not be acceptable at the location.

We do not charge for processing street trader requests.  We also regularly monitor trading activity in lay-bys across the trunk road network  to ensure compliance with conditions.  We will remove traders that do not have permission or who do not adhere to the agreed conditions .

Receiving permission from us does not remove the requirement for for you to seek any other permissions required, such as those from the local authority.

For more information, please contact us at:
development_management@transport.gov.scot
0141 272 7388