A Bill to amend the Sunday Trading Act 1994 in connection with the sale of horticultural supplies.
The purpose of the Bill is to amend the Sunday Trading Act 1994 in connection with the sale of horticultural supplies.The Sunday Trading Act 1994 permits shops to open on Sundays, in England and Wales, but imposes limits on trading hours according to the size of the premises. Shops defined as having large trading areas are currently restricted to six continual hours of trading between 10am and 6pm on Sundays. Many garden centres have large trading areas to accommodate the products they stock. The Bill would enable local authorities to pass a resolution allowing garden centres to trade up to a maximum of eight hours between 9am and 7pm on Sundays, including Easter Sunday.Key areasAmends Schedule 1 of the Sunday Trading Act 1994Introduces a definition of ‘garden centre’ as a large shop where the trade or business carried on consists wholly or mainly of the retail sale of horticultural suppliesEnables local authorities to pass a resolution permitting the opening of a garden centre up to a maximum of eight hours between 9am and 7pm on SundaysAllows local authorities to specify the Sundays to which the resolution applies, including Easter Sunday.
House of Lords
23 February 2009
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would let local councils in England and Wales allow garden centres to stay open longer on Sundays, by extending the Sunday opening limit for large shops that mainly sell horticultural goods. It defines what counts as a garden centre and lets authorities pass a rule to permit up to eight hours of Sunday trading (9am to 7pm), including Easter Sunday. The change is made by amending Schedule 1 of the Sunday Trading Act 1994.
The bill is currently in Committee stage in the House of Lords. It has completed the first two readings in the Lords and is under detailed examination by peers.
Generated 21 February 2026
10 Mar 2008
16 May 2008
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
