Events and activities upon the Place St Maur - requirements and guidance for organisers

a) The review of the event policy is mandatory for all applicants and contains lots of useful information including minimum time periods for any application and other useful information including fees/charges.

b) Applications for use of PSM is via the online event application process, with all documents required to be uploaded at the time of application e.g., site specific risk assessment and Event Management plan (including rig and derig, noise management, site protection measures, audience /crowd control on public site, food etc).

a) Organisers shall state clearly what the activity/event is, when it is being held, set-up and clear away times, opening hours etc. together with specific contact details for the event organiser (name/post and phone number).

b) Organisers shall consider the expected crowd/audience capacity and the management of attendees when using equipment onsite. Considerations and controls shall be outlined in the event risk assessment. Reference shall be made to existing commercial businesses and any public activities upon PSM.

c) As a coastal location the area can experience high wind gusts - infrastructure, installations or any equipment shall adequately address these risks. The management of these risks shall be detailed within the risk assessment and method statement (RAMS).

The organiser shall provide to Environmental Health (EH)  Amusement Device Inspection Procedure (ADIP) certificates for rides or Professional Inflatable Play Association (PIPA) tags for inflatables as evidence that the equipment has been inspected and tested for safety. Any inflatables shall have a RA provided to EH which shall include details on how wind speed is tested i.e., with an anemometer and what is the maximum wind speed that will be accepted before inflating equipment such as bouncy castles i.e. max 24 mph winds. Further safety advice for bouncy castles and other play inflatables is available on the HSE website.

a) We encourage and favour cleaner and greener use of PSM. Power sources are available at specific points on site as per the map supplied.

b) There is a flat rate charge of £20 plus VAT per day, per pop up power point.

c) A maximum electrical loading for each pop-up power unit is detailed on the site plan, a total maximum load for the site is 130KVA.

d) Organisers need to include the potential imposed electrical load as part of the event applications risk assessment in order to avoid overloading, damage and service tripping / outage.

e) Generators will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that the onsite power supply is insufficient, and the proposed power use is necessary. Specification of the proposed generator must be stated ahead of approval. No refuelling is permitted on site and consideration of exhaust direction (including provision of wind direction) and damage to the ground surface shall be appropriately addressed in the EMP and RA.

a) The installation of marquees will be permitted so long as they are of suitable size and scale, without impeding the use of the PSM or adversely impacting adjacent businesses.

b) Setting up and clearing down of structures and temporary buildings for activities, for example, erecting market stalls, building marquees etc can be noisy and can therefore only occur after 8am and before 6pm.

c) All ballast blocks are to be installed on suitable protective matting to protect the finished landscaped surface.

d) Marquees can use the installed anchor points where feasible but shall ensure that all securing ties do not present any trip hazards. Event organisers shall provide written confirmation to the council as part of their event application that the method of installing and securing the marquee has been designed and is structurally sound, safe and fit for purpose given the exposed coastal location of this site.

a) Applications for premises licences and Temporary Event Notices (TENs) have minimum submission times that cannot be reduced, it is your responsibility to ensure applications are made in time. The responsible person will need to ensure that the conditions of any permission issued are complied with. Further information on licensing requirements is available on our website.

b) Responsible persons have a duty to promote the four licensing objectives: the prevention of public nuisance, the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, and the protection of children from harm. Relevant conditions shall apply to all licence and permit holders.

Those organising events that involve the consumption of alcohol at the venue shall need to consider how the potential consequences are mitigated. This may, for example, include the use of Security Industry Authority (SIA) registered door staff to manage noise and behaviour of persons attending the event, the erection of signage asking people to be quiet whilst leaving the area and taking measures to ensure that alcohol is not purchased or consumed by persons that are underage or intoxicated.

PSM does not have a licence for the sale or consumption of alcohol. Organisers shall be required to hold a licence or obtain a temporary event notice (TENs) licence to serve or sell alcohol.

a) Parking is not permitted anywhere on PSM.

b) Event organisers will be responsible for the rectification of all damage caused as a result of vehicles entering PSM. Please note:

c) Vehicles, plant, machinery, or equipment shall not exceed 6.5 tonnes laden at any time.

d) Vehicles, plant, machinery, or equipment containing oil, or any other substance shall have suitable drip trays under all points of potential leak.

e) Plant, machinery, infrastructure, installations, or equipment shall not at any time pierce the ground surface and shall supply and implement appropriate ground protection.

f) Any removal or placement of bollards shall be the responsibility of the organiser when removed for ingress or egress. Organisers shall consider where they can be safely stored / located for the avoidance of loss, damage or injury.   

g) No vehicular activity to take place before 8am or after 9pm except in an emergency.

a) Any activity using any substances or liquids, shall not damage the ground surface and shall have adequate ground protection.  

b) In the event any cooking operation is proposed to be situated on PSM then suitable impermeable floor protection shall be used to the whole kitchen / food preparation area to ensure that there is no grease / oil damage to the landscaping and finished surface.

c) Cooking oil, other cooking mediums, other substances, or liquids in use, shall be stored within a suitable portable bund. The transport, storage and use shall be carefully controlled to prevent accidental spillages.

d) Catering operators shall have a minimum food Hygiene rating (FHR) of 4. Food traders shall provide to EH evidence of food registration if registered outside Arun DC and FHR and a copy of staff food hygiene training certificates if serving high risk foods i.e., handling raw and cooked food.

e) All waste/litter shall be removed from the site and disposed of responsibly.  Public bins are not to be utilised in any plans or operations for event/activity waste.

f) The drainage system is not permitted for event waste of any kind.

The Light and Noise Management Plan shall consider, plan for, mitigate and manage the impact of light and noise generated by activity on PSM on the adjacent residents and businesses. Consideration to light sources direction and duration and noise generation (including during set-up and de-rig) shall be addressed in the RA and EMP. Where music or PA systems are being used, or where there may be large numbers of persons gathering, a noise management plan shall be required.

Organisers shall ensure that all event operatives/staff are aware of the criteria set down in the plan and commit to working within the agreed criteria. For example, market operators shall communicate to stallholders that it is not permitted to shout about their wares.

Event staff shall be advised:

• on the potential for noise nuisance and how to manage customers to minimise disruption
• on how to record, deal with and action any calls or complaints about noise
• to arrive and leave quietly as they are likely to come and go outside of the hours when noisy activity is permitted

If noise remains a concern, the monitoring and enforcement powers held by Arun DC Environmental Health may be invoked, however adherence to the Noise Management Plan should mean this action will never be required. The council will review procedures where appropriate in the light of any observations or complaints to refine procedures for the future.

In addition to the above, each event or activity shall consider the following, but not limited to, matters:

Neighbour relations

a) Organisers are responsible for communication, engagement, and liaison with residential and business “neighbours,” in the event of an activity that could potentially cause impact.

b) Details shall be circulated in advance of the activity.

c) At PSM, the most noise sensitive “neighbours” live in Mountbatten Court, a low-rise residential building to the west of the site, however there are also adjacent businesses.

Monitoring noise

a) Event organisers using PSM shall specifically consider the level of noise generated, and how to reduce and mitigate for noise nuisance.

b) Site layout shall locate items that emit noise day and night, for example a generator, as far away from residential accommodation as possible.

c) State how you will monitor actual noise level - not measuring the decibel level specifically but whether any particular event is going to be quiet, moderate or really loud needs to be understood.

d) State what the noise is - music, people noise, doors banging, set up/close down of events, delivery vans.

e) Additional waste collections for specific activities on PSM can be noisy with operatives talking, vehicles lifting/shaking bins, and bottle collections, so bins shall be located away from residential accommodation and collections programmed to take place after 8am and before 6pm.

f) Organisers shall specifically consider how to reduce and mitigate for music/PA noise nuisance. By orientating speakers away from residential accommodation, use of volume control limiters etc.

g) For all events or activities, no music, PA system or other noisy equipment/machinery (used as part of the event) is to be allowed before 10am or after 10pm. If the activity is taking place on a weekday, the organisers shall consider closing the event at 9pm or 8pm.

h) Equipment required to service activities can be noisy, so the quietest available equipment shall be chosen and sited as far away from the residential accommodation as possible, with any noisy components pointing away from the residential accommodation, for example fans used to blow up inflatables shall point away from Mountbatten Court.

i) If equipment noise is still intrusive, noise baffling shall be deployed to reduce the impact of the noise generated by the equipment.

j) Equipment making a noise shall be turned off overnight if possible. Where this is not possible, for example food fridges, noise baffling shall be used. This is especially important at night, as even low levels of noise can have an impact on neighbours.

k) A plan shall be included to ensure that persons disperse from the site at the end of the event, in a way that does not cause unnecessary disturbance or nuisance to the nearby vicinity.

Timings

a) State event or activity opening and closing times and duration. In the case of a sustained noisy event or activity, state the planned breaks in that event or activity.

b) Frequency – if there is going to be a loud event, how often will it be held per year? People will be more tolerant of something that disturbs them one weekend a year but be justifiably worried if the same event happens every fortnight.

a) Organisers shall ensure that their event insurance not only has the required public liability insurance cover but also contains protection for any damage to the site as a whole, infrastructure or any other related equipment for the entire rig, event duration and de-rig periods.

b) A Security/damage deposit shall be lodged with the council ahead of the event. The deposit shall be returned following successful site clearance and condition survey.

c) Any consent issued will be considered null and void, or consent withheld in entirety where the required deposit has not been received.