Organising an event

When organising an event you may need to make more than one application, as your event may well be subject to more than one piece of legislation such as road closures, permission to use land that is owned by Stevenage Borough Council.

Aims of the Safety Advisory Team

The aims of the Safety Advisory Team here at Stevenage is to look at events proposed to be held in the borough of Stevenage, and to provide advice and guidance to the event’s organisers to enable them to host a safe and successful event.

The Safety Advisory Team (SAT) is made up from a cross-section of agencies which includes officers from the Council, as well as representatives from Hertfordshire Constabulary, Herts Fire and Rescue.

Event Notification Form

Planning for an event can be a lengthy process, with some large scale events taking up to a year to organise safely. Even small scale events such as school fetes or street parties can take a few months to prepare for.

We request the completion of an Event Notification form. The information provided is then put into a diary circulated to the Stevenage Safety Advisory Team, thus enabling the group to be aware of events planned around the Borough that have the potential to attract a large audience.

Event to be held on SBC land

If you plan to hold an event on public open space that is owned by the Council, you will need to notify our Environmental Services team at streets.grounds@stevenage.gov.uk.

Information that is required will include:

1. Date
2. Times
3. Area of land you wish to use – we can provide a site plan to assist with this
4. Activities to be held on this land
5. How car parking will be managed for the event
6. Stewarding
7. Management of litter arising from the event
8. Risk assessment
9. First aid arrangements – if identified from the risk assessment.

If the use of land is approved you will be advised in writing and we will provide you with the relevant terms and conditions of use.

Should you wish to hold an event on the Fairlands Valley Park showground please contact Everyone Active at allanprescott@everyoneactive.com who will provide relevant terms and conditions of use. Your event may require additional satisfactory documentation to be reviewed by the team before approval can be given, and the land reserved for your use.

Please note: if the land is not owned by the council you should always obtain consent from any other landowner. Proof of permission to use the landowners land may be requested of you.

Event to be held on the public road or footpath, or requiring a diversion or closure of a road or footpath

For an event which requires the closure of a road or footpath, an application will need to be made to Hertfordshire County Council Highways.

Due to the timescales that can be involved (including any public advertising of a road closure) the application should be made as soon as possible, allowing suitable time in advance for your application to be considered dependent as to the nature and scale of your event. As a guide, please allow three months for an application to be made. For large scale events, please allow six months for these applications to be considered.

Demonstrations and parades

Demonstrations are covered by section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986. In certain circumstances the Council may, following consultation with Hertfordshire Constabulary, close roads to allow special events or parades to take place within the Borough.

When special events require the road to be closed off to general traffic, a temporary road closure will be required. Such closures require a Traffic Regulation Order. Normally all costs involved for both the closure and the diversion signing will have to be borne by the event organiser.

At least six weeks’ notice is required and for some events up to three months will be needed in order to organise them properly. Notice for large events may require even longer.

Without the consent of The Secretary of State, roads which are closed for sporting events can usually only be closed once a year.

Demonstrations cannot be dealt with by the Council. For these events Hertfordshire Constabulary must be contacted so that they may make the appropriate arrangements.

Written notice must be given to the Police of any proposal to hold a public procession which in intended:

1. To demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any person or body of persons;
2. To publicise a cause or campaign;
3. To mark or commemorate an event.

The written notification to the Police will need to include:

1. The date of the procession;
2. The intended start time;
3. The proposed route;
4. The name and address of the organiser(s)

Hertfordshire Constabulary asks that the notice be delivered to them by recorded delivery to;

• Hertfordshire Constabulary Event Planning Department, Stevenage Police Station, Lytton Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1HF

or by hand to the Police Station in the area in which the procession is intended to start, not less than seven (7) days before the day of the procession.

Notification to Hertfordshire Constabulary and the Borough Council does not constitute that the event will be supported by either organisation. Participants will be responsible for their own risk. The Police will only be available to keep the peace and to deal with any emergencies that may arise.

Event requiring consent under the Licensing Act 2003

For attendance figures above 500, including staff and security, you may be required to make an application for a premise licence, which can be time specific to cover your event.

Typically these cover activities such as:

• the sale by retail of alcohol;
• the provision of regulated entertainment
• the provision of late night refreshment (the provision of hot food or hot drink supplied between the hours of 23:00 and 05:00hrs)

Regulated entertainment is defined as:

• a performance of a play (for example, a pantomime or amateur dramatic production)
• an exhibition of a film (excluding the viewing of television programmes broadcast at the time they are broadcast to the public)
• an indoor sporting event
• boxing or wrestling (including any combination of the two, for example cage fighting)
• a performance of live music (for example, singers, duos, bands or a choir)
• the playing of recorded music (for example, a disco)
• any combination of live and recorded music (for example, karaoke)
• a performance of dance (for example, a display of ballet or other dancing)
• provision of facilities for making music (for example, the provision of musical instruments)
• provision of facilities for dancing (for example, the provision of a dance floor or similar)
• any combination of the above
• anything of a similar nature to the above

Please note: The Safety Advisory Team does not grant formal permission to organisers for public events. The Safety Advisory Team does not accept any liability for any loss, or damage as a result of any event that takes place within the Borough.