The London City Council on Monday amended proposed changes to the city’s events and festivals code to remove an explicit vendor-setup map and extend the allowable vendor setup window from 72 to 78 hours.

Council members debated the proposed ordinance, which would have formalized festival, sidewalk-sale and street-closure procedures and limited city-sanctioned, full-street festivals to three per year (the Rib Fest and Strawberry Festival were discussed by name). Opponents said the map and some layout rules were too prescriptive; proponents said the ordinance provided needed guidance on safety, ADA access and frequency of closures.

Councilman Hitt moved to remove section 8.74.04 (the vendor-setup maps and related specifications) and to amend section 8.74.02(c) to permit vendor setup up to 78 hours before an event. The motion passed on roll call after members recorded yes and no votes; the chair said the amendment had majority support. The change leaves other provisions—insurance, ADA access, stage provisions and the cap of three city-sanctioned large festivals—intact.

Council scheduled a public work session for March 12 at 6 p.m. in council chambers to develop a vendor layout for council review; staff said the administration and safety-service directors will bring their recommended layout to that session. Council members repeatedly urged that festival layouts be respectful of businesses and ADA access, and said the proposed work session would include administration, safety personnel and council. The ordinance will be returned to council after the work session and may be amended further before final passage.

The council’s amendment is administrative and procedural; it does not itself authorize a specific festival closure. Council members said removing the map will allow organizers and officials to negotiate layouts that balance safety and business access while leaving other event safeguards codified.