By Kath Gannaway
A Wandin trader is calling on Yarra Ranges Council to tighten its permit process in relation to roadside traders, and police it.
Kim Armour who runs Wandin Florist at the Wandin North shopping centre has lodged a complaint with the council in relation to a roadside stall she says was set up on private property within a kilometre of her shop on Mother’s Day.
Ms Armour said she broached the issue of road-side sellers when she bought the business, and was told while no-one could trade within a one kilometre of her business, there was a loophole in the regulations where people sold from someone else’s property.
As a small owner-operated business, Ms Armour said she paid council for footpath trading permits as well as paying rates.
“I am really disappointed in finding many pop-up florists all over the valley, selling out of cars, trucks, stalls and even tents over the mother’s day weekend,” she said.
Ms Armour said there were high overheads involved in running a business from a shop and that she needed to sell a lot of flowers to cover costs and worked over 100 hours in the lead-up to Mother’s Day to ensure the business was at its best for what is a peak selling day for florists.
“I find it a slap in the face that anyone can just pull up in the Yarra Valley and sell flowers,” she said.
“If the council wants small businesses to stay in business, they need to support those businesses.”
Yarra Ranges Council told the Mail a member of their Local Laws team would be contacting Ms Armour to discuss her complaint.
Director of Corporate Services, Troy Edwards, said Roadside Trading permits were issued on an annual basis, but that they could not comment on whether a permit was issued, or required, in this instance without a specific address provided.
He said there were a number of factors that separate roadside trading, which requires a permit, from street stalls, which do not.
Included in the Roadside Trading provisions are if the trader is located adjacent to a road or in a public place, and if the trader does not currently lease or licence the land where the activity is taking place.
A street stall can be located on private land, or confined to designated areas on council land, and must not unfairly impact on retail outlets which offer similar goods.
Ms Armour says the problem of roadside traders is not restricted to the Yarra Valley, but is a problem highlighted on florist forums across Australia.
She said she believed there was a loophole in the regulations that needed to be tightened and was questioning whether Yarra Ranges Council needed to conduct permit patrols on the peak trading days such as Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas.
