Open Air Business February 2017

EVENTS
› boxing or wrestling entertainment
› a performance of live music
› any playing of recorded music
› a performance of dance
› entertainment of a similar description to a
performance of live music, any playing of
recorded music or a performance of dance.
Chances are that an event on your property
will include some of the above activities
and will probably need a licence. For events
that have less than 500 people attending,
the organiser can apply for a TENs licence
(Temporary Event Notice), but for any event
that may have more than that the organisers
need a premises licence.
A premises licence can be applied for
on an event-by-event basis by the event
organisers. This could be you or it may be the
organisation hiring the property from you.
A premises licence is: “a permanent licence,
granted in respect of a specific location,
which authorises the licence-holder to carry
on licensable activities. Once a licence is
granted, unless a limited duration is specified
in the application, a premises licence will be
valid for the life of the business, or until it is
surrendered or revoked”.
An attractive possibility is holding a
permanent premises licence on your
property, which means it is licensed all
the time and not just for specific dates for
specific events. Think of pubs. They hold
a permanent premises licence, not just for
certain days of the year. This can be very, very
attractive to event organisers who want to
hold an event but don’t want to go through
the entire licence application process.
If you hold the licence, whether it is for
‘limited duration’ or it is on a permanent
basis, you have the ultimate responsibility
for upholding the conditions of this licence
regarding safety, otherwise known as the
‘licence objectives.’
FOUR THINGS YOU
MUST ENSURE
To acquire a licence from the local authority,
the potential event organiser will be asked
to fill in an application. This might be you
or it may be an event organiser holding
a licensable event on your property. The
application is reviewed by the council’s
licensing department, environmental health
team, emergency planning team, the “blue
light” services (police, fire, ambulance) and
others.
Part of the application will ask the
organiser how they will meet four licensing
objectives as defined within the Licensing
Act 2003: Prevention of Crime & Disorder,
Public Safety, Prevention of Public Nuisance,
Protection of Children from Harm.
Here are some suggestions on meeting
each of these four objectives.
1. PREVENTION OF CRIME AND DISORDER
How will the event organisers:
› monitor guests or attendees for disorderly
behaviour or criminal conduct?
› ensure that there are no weapons or illegal
substances or items at the event?
› ensure that only invited or ticketed persons
enter the event?
Possible things the organiser can do
to maintain this objective:
› advertise “terms and conditions” of entry to
the event
› secure the perimeter of the event: fencing,
personnel, signs or in some cases CCTV
cameras
› have specific personnel whose job it is to
watch for and act upon crime or disorderly
behaviour. In other words, security
personnel.
A note about professional security
guards: security personnel need to have
something called an SIA badge to indicate
they are registered with the Security Industry
Association and have had proper training.
And if you don’t want a big ‘bouncer’ kind of
security guy at your event, please be aware
that SIA badged people can be men, women,
old, young, dressed in suits or in outdoor wear.
It’s up to the event organiser on the type of
security they hire.
2. PUBLIC SAFETY
How will the event organisers:
› prevent people from being harmed or
injured by any item or activity within the
event area?
› keep people safe in the event of an
emergency such as a fire, collapsed building
or severe storm?
› make sure that people who may become ill
or injured receive quick effective treatment?
Possible things the organiser can do to
maintain this objective:
› create a risk assessment for the event
identifying elements that may lead to injury,
illness or damage, and list how they will
reduce those risks
› have an Emergency Evacuation and Incident
Plan in place
› have adequately trained medical personnel
on hand to treat any immediate illnesses or
injuries.
The local fire and rescue service will want
to see what fire prevention methods will be in
place and how the event will assess fire risk,
prevent overcrowding in tents and marquees,
and evacuate people during an emergency.
Event organisers may wish to hire the support
of an event safety advisor or event fire service
to help with some of the planning.
3. PREVENTION OF PUBLIC NUISANCE
How will the event organisers:
› ensure minimal impact on neighbours and
other public?
› prevent noise and sounds from keeping
people awake during unsocial hours or for a
very long period?
› make sure that roads and highways nearby
aren’t jammed or blocked so that others can
go about their business?
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