Plans to bar ice cream vans from trading on King William Walk, adjacent to Greenwich Park, have edged closer to reality following a heated and costly dispute between the local authority and a long-standing trader.
Greenwich Council’s cabinet has now recommended that King William Walk be officially designated as a prohibited street for itinerant ice cream trading, pending a final vote at a full council meeting. The recommendation follows a long-running row that has already cost taxpayers over £50,000.
The south-east London street, popular with visitors to the park and Maritime Greenwich, was initially included on a wider list of prohibited trading locations in late 2023. However, veteran ice cream vendor Paul St Hilaire Sr successfully challenged the decision at Bromley Magistrates’ Court, arguing that the council’s legal basis for the ban was flawed.
The court agreed, ordering Greenwich Council to restart its consultation process. It was later revealed, via a Freedom of Information request, that the legal proceedings racked up a £52,000 bill for the authority.
Following the court’s ruling, a fresh public consultation was carried out earlier this year. The results, presented at a cabinet meeting on 9 April, showed that of the 25 respondents, 16 supported the proposed ban, while nine opposed it.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Jackie Smith defended the council’s move. “The only grounds on which the council can prevent itinerant ice cream trading is where there’s an obstruction to traffic or undue inconvenience to street users,” she said. “We’ve received numerous complaints from residents of King William Walk about this exact issue.”
Cllr Smith also noted that if the council proceeds with the prohibition, a fresh legal challenge was highly likely. “We need to be prepared to robustly defend our decision,” she added. “And even then, there’s no guarantee traders will comply — enforcement will be key.”
Cllr Rachel Taggart-Ryan raised concerns over how enforcement might be handled, especially if another legal challenge is mounted. Interim legal director Azuka Onuorah clarified that even if challenged, the ban would remain enforceable while the case was under review. However, she declined to detail what specific enforcement measures might be used.
Local ward councillor Pat Slattery lent her backing to the prohibition. “It’s not about being anti-ice cream,” she said. “There are plenty of vendors within a reasonable distance. But this particular van causes problems. It’s noisy, creates queues, and residents are fed up.”
More Read
She added that while the recommendation would be welcomed by locals, real change would depend on how well it was enforced. “We can’t just put the rules in place — we need to make sure they’re respected,” she said.
Before the cabinet officially voted to recommend the prohibition to full council, Council Leader Anthony Okereke sought to clarify the council’s intentions. “We are not banning ice creams in Greenwich in any way, shape, or form,” he said with a smile. “In fact, we love an ice cream.”
The final decision will be made at a full Greenwich Council meeting in the coming weeks. If passed, King William Walk will join a growing list of London streets where mobile ice cream trading is prohibited, as authorities across the capital grapple with balancing tourism, trade, and community concerns.
Celebrity or not, it appears the future of flake-filled cones and whirring ice cream jingles outside Greenwich Park may soon melt away — at least from one of the area’s busiest streets.
