Apply to hold an event

Hosting an event, no matter the size or subject requires careful planning and organisation.

Our application form is detailed, so be sure that you have all your event planning documents with you when you start. 

The following points are what you need to have considered at a minimum.

You should read our events policy and procedures to get a full understanding of the process.

Advance notice

You need to submit an application in advance for any events to be held on council land.

How early you need to apply will depend on the expected number of attendees.

If your event will have 500 attendees or less, you need to apply at least eight weeks in advance.

If your event will have between 500 to 999 attendees, you need to apply at least twelve weeks in advance.

For events with 1000 attendees or more, you should contact us as soon as possible, and we will advise you how much notice is required.

Events with a large number of attendees or that pose a high level of risk may require up to nine months notice.

Check licensing requirements

Certain types of events or activities will need a licence before you can hold them.

Activities that require a licence can include:

• the sale of alcohol
• the performance of music, dance or theatre
• collecting money for charity

You must make sure you have applied for and received the correct type of licence before your event can go ahead.

Check our licensing pages to find out what licence you will need and how to apply.

Site plan

You'll need to have a detailed plan of the location of your event to go with your application.

We can provide free maps of popular event locations in the district.

Road closures

Visit our road closures for events page for more information.

Risk assessment

The event organiser is responsible for the health and safety of everybody involved with the event.

A risk assessment is a document where you consider all potential hazards to health and safety, and show how the risk will be dealt with.

You will need to complete a risk assessment for your event and submit this with your application.

You can use this risk assessment template [docx] 80KB to get you started.

Insurance

You will need Public Liability Insurance to hold any event on our land, with £5 million cover at a minimum.

Larger events, or any event requiring road closures, will need a minimum of £10 million cover.

If you need higher insurance cover, our events officer will let you know after reviewing your application.

Any additional requirements

We have highlighted the minimum requirements for holding an event on our land. The more complicated the event you want to hold, the more detailed information you will need to provide.

Our events officer will contact you to discuss your event and let you know anything else you need to do. 

Apply

We have made a guide for completing the application form, use this along with our events policy and procedures to help you during the application process.

Apply to hold an event