Street Parties FactSheet - Stroud District Council

Street PartiesFact Sheet 19What is a street party?Street parties are a particularly British tradition which have for a century been linked with royal and othernational events. Street parties and fetes are ‘get togethers’ that groups of residents arrange for theirneighbours. The main differences between a small party and fetes and larger public events are listed below:Street parties & FetesLarger public eventsFor residents/neighbours onlyAdvertised only to residentsNo licences normally necessary if musicis incidental and no selling is involvedNo formal risk assessment needed,unless a road closure is requiredSelf-organisedInsurance may be neededAnyone can attendAdvertised widely (such as newspapers)Licence usually neededProfessional/skilled organisersRisk assessment commonInsurance neededTemporary Road ClosuresIf you are planning to hold an event and would like to close a road to enable that event to be held then youneed to apply to the Council for a Temporary Road Closure Order.There is a form on our website you can use entitled ‘Temporary Road Closures’. You can also e-mail us onlegal.services@stroud.gov.uk with the information we need. This includes:• Name of Street/Roads to be closed and the length of the road to be closed.• The times that the Street/Road will be closed.• The date the event will be held.• The nature of the event.• A return address for the Orders.The cost for arranging this closure is £40. We need a cheque payable to Stroud District Council and sent toLegal Services, Ebley Mill, Stroud, Glos. GL5 4UB.When we have this information we will then carry out consultations with interested parties which include thePolice, Ambulance, Fire, County Council, Parish Council and District Councillors. Once everyone has beenconsulted and there are no adverse comments or problems we can make the Order. This will be sent to you foryou to display at either end of the road you propose to close.The Council is unable to supply road signage or barriers to facilitate the closure of the road and we suggest thatyou contact the local police and highway authority for advice on this matter.Any queries contact Legal Services on (01453) 754386 or 754368N\licensing\factsheets\Street Parties/Jan11 1

LicencesYou should not normally need to apply to Stroud District Council for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) licence ifany 'performance' is 'incidental' to the day or 'background', including recorded music. However, if you arepublicising a programme of bands etc. or are selling things like tickets, entrance fee or alcohol you would needto apply for a TEN at least 2 weeks in advance, costing £21.RafflesIf the tombola/raffle tickets are sold on the day and the prizes are not worth more than £500 in total then it willbe exempt from gambling regulations. However, if tickets are sold in advance of the event, you will need alottery registration, please contact the Licensing Section. Any proceeds from the tombola/raffle must go to agood cause such as a charity or even covering the cost of your party. Alternatively, if you did want to raisesome money for your local church or charity, you can always ask for donations.NoiseIt is important to be aware of causing a nuisance arising from noise. To avoid this:• consult everyone in your street about having a street party.• notify any neighbours of your event, what time it will finish and what is planned to take place.• include a name and telephone number of an individual that residents can contact if they are beingdisturbed by the party.• carry out regular checks and noise assessments throughout the event to ensure that any noise is notcausing a disturbance. Take immediate action where it is identified that levels are causing adisturbance. The council's Environmental Health Noise Team can offer you further guidance if required.• keep volume levels of music and related entertainment to a reasonable level, and vary the type ofentertainment provided.• make sure the volume of music and other entertainment is reduced where it is scheduled to run into theevening as children and other residents may be trying to sleep. Peoples’ tolerance of all forms of noisetends to reduce the later an event runs.• ensure that the event does not extend to outside of the designated area, and that anyone who attendedthe event is considerate of neighbours as they arrive/leave.• place tables, chairs and stalls in such a way to allow for easy access by emergency service vehicles.• make sure that hydrants and hydrant markers remain clear and accessible for Gloucestershire Fire andRescue Service to use.• be careful where you attach bunting and other materials. Make sure they do not pose a fire risk,obstruction or a hazard to the public.Clearing UpYou will need to clean after your street party. It’s your street, your party, so keep your local area clean and tidy.Let people know in advance what time the party will finish and have a section set aside for rubbish andrecycling.Finally……….Please allow plenty of organisation time for holding your street party, the relevant Stroud District CouncilServices can be contacted on the numbers below and are ready to help:Environmental Health 01453 754478Licensing 01453 754404Legal Services 01453 754386 or 754368N\licensing\factsheets\Street Parties/Jan11 2