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
This Bill would change Sunday trading rules for large garden centres in England and Wales. If a local council approves it, a garden centre could open on Sundays for up to eight hours (9am–7pm), including Easter Sunday, subject to the new definition of a garden centre and the council choosing which Sundays apply.
The bill is currently in Committee stage in the House of Lords, where peers review its details and may propose amendments.
Generated 21 February 2026
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
