The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department is inviting applications for licences for 218 on-street fixed hawker pitches by March 30.

The vacant pitches are in Southern (five pitches), Central & Western (10), Mong Kok (11), Sham Shui Po (110) and Kowloon City (82) Districts. Of them, 166 are for the sale of non-food-related dry goods while the remaining 52 are for sale of food-related dry and wet goods, and non-food-related wet goods.

Applicants should:

* be aged 18 or above and have Hong Kong permanent resident status;

* not hold a valid hawker licence at present;

* not have entered into any market stall tenancy agreement with the department which is still in force;

* not have joined the voluntary surrender schemes for fixed-pitch (cooked food or light refreshment) hawker licences or itinerant hawker licences; and,

* have no parents, spouse or children holding a valid hawker licence.

At the request of the Legislative Council and hawker trade associations, priority will be given to eligible applicants who are existing registered assistants and have registered with the department for five years or more as at January 31 to apply for 70% of the vacant fixed pitches.

Download the application forms here, or get one in person at the department's Hong Kong-Kowloon Region Hawkers & Markets Section and all district environmental hygiene offices. Completed forms can be returned by fax, mail or in person. Call 2392 5157 for enquiries.

An open computer random number allocation process to determine the selection priority of pitches for eligible applicants will be held in late April. Successful applicants will be invited in writing in batches to an interview to complete the pitch selection procedures.