Planning an event on council land
Request to organise an event on council land
If you wish to organise an event on land owned and managed by Chorley Council, you will need to download, complete and submit an event proposal form (Word doc) [424KB] as soon as possible.
Once completed the event proposal form should be returned by email to events@chorley.gov.uk or by post to Events Team, Chorley Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley, PR7 1DP.
The form allows event organisers to put forward their event proposals and also seeks to encourage event organisers to make all of the considerations necessary to run a safe and legal event.
Your proposal will be processed by a council officer who is involved in the day-to-day management of the site or venue where you wish to hold your event. We appreciate you may not have all of your event details confirmed but this is your chance to tell us as much information as possible at this stage to allow us to make a decision on whether your event can take place.
Event proposal forms must be submitted in advance of the following deadlines:
| Event size | Number of participants | Proposal deadline (before date of event) |
|---|---|---|
| Small event | 0 to 499 | 14 weeks |
| Medium event | 500 to 999 | 16 weeks |
| Large event | 1000 to 4999 | 6 months |
| Major event | 5000 plus | 12 months |
Fees, charges and bond
We are very supportive of events within the borough, we have introduced fees, charges and in some cases a bond, to cover the costs of providing additional services and resources to help event organisers. The fees are dependent on the location of the event and could include:
- an application fee
- a hire charge for the use of council land
- charges for use of additional resources, if required
- a reinstatement bond for certain events and activities that pose a potential risk of damage to council land.
All fees and charges will be discussed with the event organiser once an event proposal form has been submitted.
Information you will need to provide
Once you have submitted your event proposal form, we will contact you within 2-3 weeks to advise if your event proposal has provisionally been accepted.
You will then be expected to submit the following documents in order for a hire agreement to be issued:
- event management plan including a site plan. You are welcome to submit your own, or you can use our event management plan template (Word doc) [50KB]
- risk assessment. You are welcome to submit your own, or you can use our risk assessment template (PDF) [48KB]
- traffic and parking management plan (if applicable)
- public liability insurance (minimum of £5 million)
Although all of the sections in the event management plan template may not be relevant to your event, it is important that you consider these areas and document in how you plan to manage your event.
All events must be covered by a valid public liability insurance policy, with a minimum of £5million cover although £10million is preferred.
If your event involves outside contractors, they must have their own public liability insurance. It is your responsibility as the event organiser to check the current safety certification, risk assessments and method statements for participants attending events, including but not limited to mechanical and animal rides, inflatable's and firework displays, the absence of which would invalidate any insurance policies. The council reserves the right to ask for evidence of these safety documents.
Events Safety Advisory Group
If you are organising a more complex event with increased levels of risk, you may be referred to Chorley's Events Safety Advisory Group (ESAG).
The group comprises of representatives from local emergency services, Police, Fire & Rescue and Ambulance Service, senior officers from Chorley Council and other relevant organisations.
As the event organiser, you may be required to attend an ESAG meeting to discuss your event proposal and the group can offer advice and help when needed. You will be invited if this is the case.
Licensing
You will need to apply for any licences separately to the event application. View more information on licensing.
Temporary Event Notice
If you are organising a one-off event which includes licensable activities on unlicensed premises - or if the activities or times at which the event is to be carried out are not covered by an existing premises licence - you can apply for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) under the Licensing Act 2003.
How to apply for a Temporary Event Notice
Road closures
Some events may take place, partially or fully, on the highway, or pedestrians may use the highway to access or spectate at an event. In these circumstances, it may be necessary to close part or all of a road and you will need to apply for the relevant road closure order at least 12 weeks prior to your event.
If an event includes a street party, a parade, a procession, a carnival or other festival we can temporarily close the roads using our powers under the Town and Police Clauses Act 1847.
Some other types of events such as sporting events or large scale events may require a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order from Lancashire County Council (LCC) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
If we are not able to issue a Road Closure Order under our statutory powers, it is the responsibility of the event organiser to ensure they have the necessary Temporary Traffic Regulation Order from Lancashire County Council and are able to provide a copy to Chorley Council on demand, for any events on the highway.
Road closure application - LCC
Closing a public road, footway, footpath or verge without a lawful closure order is illegal. You will need to apply for a road closure by contacting us by email to legal@chorley.gov.uk or by calling us on 01257 515151.
Road Closures
Some events may take place, partially or fully, on the highway, or pedestrians may use the highway to access or spectate at an event. In these circumstances, it may be necessary to close part or all of a road and you will need to apply for the relevant road closure order at least 12 weeks prior to your event.
If an event includes a street party, a parade, a procession, a carnival or other festival we can temporarily close the roads using our powers under the Town and Police Clauses Act 1847. Please complete the road closure application (link to form) to apply for a road closure, and supply the documents listed below;
Documents to be provided with a Road Closure Application
- Traffic Management Plan
- Risk assessment
- Public liability insurance (minimum of £5 million)
Send to Chorley Borough Council Legal Team by email to legal@chorley.gov.uk to process.
Please note closing a public road, footway, footpath or verge without a lawful closure order is illegal.
Some sporting, large and longer scale events may require a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order from Lancashire County Council (LCC) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Road closure application - LCC
If we are not able to issue a Road Closure Order under our statutory powers, it is the responsibility of the event organiser to ensure they have the necessary Temporary Traffic Regulation Order from Lancashire County Council and are able to provide a copy to Chorley Council on demand, for any events on the highway.
Health and safety
Any event on public property must be safe for everyone involved. Before planning your event and submitting an event proposal form, it is advised that you read through the health and safety at event guidance on the Health and Safety Executive website.
Use of food traders
As the event organiser you have a responsibility for checking that the food vendors at your event are suitable. When using food traders at your event, the following information should be obtained before your event from each of the food vendors:
- the business name and registered address of the business
- the name of the local authority that the business is registered with
- the food hygiene rating score for the business (if they have been inspected).
A food business must be registered with a local authority and will normally have been inspected by the local authority's environmental health department and given a food hygiene rating, to indicate their level of compliance with food hygiene legislation. This may not necessarily be Chorley Council. We advise that you check their food hygiene rating on the Food Standards Agency website, to ensure that the food businesses have a good level of compliance (a rating between 3 and 5).
If you need further advice from our Environmental Health team, please contact them on 01257 515151.
Event promotion
It is the event organiser's responsibility to promote and publicise your event. However, your event can be submitted to this website's What's On pages for free.
When submitting an event online for inclusion in our What's On pages please ensure you provide us with contact details for publication within the event description section, including organisation name/your name, telephone number and/or email address so that people know where/who to contact to find out more or to book tickets.
| Magazine edition | Deadline |
|---|---|
| March to June | Last Friday in January |
| July to October | Last Friday in May |
| November to February | Last Friday in September |
How did your event go?
It is important to record and document how your event went so that you can learn from things that went well and not so well. As part of this process, We will endeavour to gather feedback from event organisers for future reference. In addition to this, we may also provide the event organiser with feedback we have gathered throughout the event planning process and from our residents and event attendees.
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