How to apply for a seasonal concession licence

Please note: We are now taking applications for Winter Season Licences starting on 1st October 2025. Our online portal is open for applications from Friday 5th September 2025. All applications will be reviewed in order of receipt. If you need any advice or help, please get in touch with the Concessions Team: concessions@adur-worthing.gov.uk

• Concession licence fees
• List of available concession pitches
• How to apply for a Seasonal Concession Licence
• Seasonal concessions FAQs

Concession licence fees 2025

Following the ongoing progress of the concessions programme, a review of the fees has been undertaken ahead of Summer 2025.

All net income derived from concessions supports the continued delivery of front-line services at the councils.

Full payment for the agreed licence period and any legal costs incurred in preparation of the licence, along with an administration fee of £55.00 is required in advance of the start date by the applicant, unless an instalment plan has been agreed.

If an instalment plan is agreed, prompt payment of each invoice is expected. Failure to complete payment within 30 days of the invoice being issued may result in termination of licence and/or loss of ability to apply for a licence in the subsequent two seasons.

Please note:

* The Summer season is April to September inclusive
** The Winter season is October to March inclusive
*** There is no peak month price for watersports or other leisure uses

For all pitches:

• The council reserves the right to charge an enhanced fee for premium pitches, categorised by being adjacent to high footfall, year-round attractions.
• VAT is charged where applicable. Usually, VAT only applies to 'ambulatory' concessions.
• A deposit of £50.00 is payable upon collection of an access key, where required. The deposit will be returned in full providing the key is returned within seven days of the licence ending. Outside the seven-day period, the deposit will be returned at the council's discretion.

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List of available concession pitches

Winter Pitches 2025 (30 pitches available).

The following pitches are available for application to the Winter 2025 season:
Cluster name (location): Site reference: Winter price

5 x Food Pitches:

• Coronation Green Cluster (Adur): CO/CS001-F: £900.00
• Heene Cluster (Worthing): HE/CS001-F: £1,680.00
• Lido Cluster (Worthing): LI/CS001-F: £1,680.00
• Thorn Cluster (Worthing): TH/CS004-F: £1,320.00
• Travelodge Cluster (Worthing): TR/CS001-F: £1,680.00 

10 x Refreshments Pitches:

• Adur River Cluster (Adur): AD/CS002-R: £900.00
• * Grand Cluster (Worthing): GR/CS002-R: £900.00
• Heene Cluster (Alcohol pm hrs) (Worthing): HE/CS003-R: £1,680.00
• * Highdown Rise (Worthing): WP/CS005-R: £1,320.00
• Homefield Park (Worthing): WP/CS001-R: £1,320.00
• * Kingston Lighthouse Cluster (Adur): KI/CS001-R: £900.00
• Pond Lane Park (Worthing): WP/CS002-R: £900.00
• * Storrington Rise (Worthing): WP/CS004-R: £900.00
• Thorn Cluster (Worthing): TH/CS003-R: £1,320.00
• Travelodge Cluster (Worthing): TR/CS002-R: £1,680.00

7 x Food/Refreshments Pitches:

• * Shoreham Beach Cluster (Adur): SH/CS001-FR: £1,320.00
• Southwick Square (Adur): SQ/CS001-LFR: £900.00
• * Southwick Square (Adur): SQ/CS002-LFR: £900.00
• * Speakers Corner (Worthing): DO/CS004-FR: £1,680.00
• Teville Gate (Worthing): WP/CS006-FR: £900.00
• Teville Gate (Worthing): WP/CS007-FR: £900.00
• Windsor Cluster (Worthing): WI/CS001-FR: £900.00 

8 x Leisure and Arts/Crafts Pitches:

• Dome Cluster (Worthing): DO/CS001-L: £1,350.00
• Grand Cluster (Worthing): GR/CS003-L: £1,350.00
• Heene Cluster (Worthing): HE/CS004-L: £1,350.00
• Lido Cluster (Worthing): LI/CS003-L: £1,350.00
• Southwick Square (Adur): SQ/CS001-LFR: £1,350.00
• * Southwick Square (Adur): SQ/CS002-LFR: £1,350.00
• Waterwise Cluster (Worthing): WA/CS003-L: £1,350.00
• Windsor Cluster Sauna (Worthing): WI/CS003-L: £1,350.00

* please note that these sites may not be available for new applications if the current summer trader extends their licence into the winter season

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How to apply for a Seasonal Concession Licence

We are currently marketing available concession pitches for the Winter 2025 season:

• The Winter season starts from 1st October and continues through to 31st March each year.
• All applications will be considered by the Concessions Team on a 'first come, first served' basis due to the limited number of pitches available. The team will make a decision regarding a licence offer based on the quality of the application received, provision of the necessary documentation and suitability for a pitch using their experience of the programme.
• The closing date for applications in this round is Friday 26th September 2025, although we will still accept applications for vacant pitches after this date through to the end of December 2025.
• We will aim to notify applicants of the outcome of their application within five days of receipt, but please bear in mind that other factors may delay the outcome of some decisions.

Please use the link below to access our online application system:

Apply for a Winter 2025 Seasonal Concession Licence

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Seasonal concessions FAQs

What is a seasonal concession?

A temporary consent to trade from land owned by Adur & Worthing Councils, where no council building is rented for exclusive use or significant occupation takes place.

Examples of seasonal concessions include ice cream vans, water sport activities, art stalls and food vendors.

A seasonal concession licence is not a permanent lease and only applies for the time the personal licence is issued for and with the person named in the licence.

Any vehicle used to tow a unit, trailer or equipment to the pitch must be removed during trading hours as it is only the main unit or trailer that is licensed to be on-site. Outside trading hours, all equipment including vehicles, units and trailers must be removed from the pitch and returned only during trading hours, ie no equipment, vehicle, unit or trailer can remain overnight at any location.

What can I do if I want to trade at a location other than the concession pitches listed?

We have a wide range of locations across Adur and Worthing available for a number of uses by concessional traders, please see:

• Map of all the concession locations

If you wish to trade from somewhere other than the designated pitch locations you may need to apply for a street trading permit. For more information please see:

• Street trading

Can I sell alcohol under a seasonal concession licence?

A seasonal concession licence does not permit you to sell or serve alcohol at any time. If you wish to offer alcohol you will need to apply for an additional licence through our Licensing Unit. If you only want to sell alcohol occasionally you can apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). For regular alcohol sales you will need to apply for a Personal or Premises Licence. To find out more please see:

• Licensing Act 2003

Is electricity available at each concession pitch?

A few of the pitches do have access to an electricity point, which can be used by the allocated concession (recharges will apply for using this facility). Where an electricity point is not available, alternative means of power including solar and battery power should be considered in the first instance.

The Councils have recently begun a review of generator usage with a view to encouraging alternative power sources and lowering the potential impact of generator use on the environment. Generators will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances where no other means of power are available. When diesel or petrol generators are to be used then the noise from these shall not exceed 50dB LAeq at the nearest boundary to noise sensitive premises.

How do I access the promenade or my allocated pitch if there is a gate or barrier?

Where access through a gate, barrier or bollard is required to travel to your allocated pitch, you will be loaned an access key or provided a keycode for the padlock. This will be for your use only and a refundable deposit is required when you collect a physical key. You will also need to sign an agreement confirming you take responsibility for ensuring that other than when you need to obtain access to your pitch the access point will remain locked at all times, to prevent any unauthorised access.

What can I do if I have misplaced, lost or broken an access key?

In the first instance, please visit our Coastal Office on the promenade next to The Lido where a replacement key can be issued. Please remember that the access key is your responsibility at all times, and no loans will be made if the one issued is misplaced, lost or broken. In these incidents, a new one will need to be purchased; otherwise access to the promenade/pitch will not be permitted/attained.

How do concession operators manage their waste?

All of our concession traders will need to provide a valid Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note. This confirms that their general and recyclable waste is being managed correctly and not disposed of within residential waste. We encourage our licensees to recycle as much waste as possible, and provide recycling points for their customers as well as use recyclable or biodegradable products.

Can I promote my business rather than be a licensed concession?

We welcome applications from businesses wishing to promote their products and services. This is managed through our promotional service and can be applied for separately through our website, see:

• Promotional stand pitches in Adur and Worthing

Please note that at present we have eight pitches available for promotional stands:

• In Adur: East Street, Shoreham and Southwick Square
• In Worthing: Montague Place, Portland Road, The Beacon on the Promenade, East Beach, Waterwise Playground & Garden, and Goring Beach

Further information

If you have any further questions, please contact the Concessions Team:

• concessions@adur-worthing.gov.uk

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