Street parties

Do you want to hold a street party or small community event in Exeter to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? In this guide you will find suggestions and ideas that are designed to help make your event successful and safe, with lots of help on where to seek advice from relevant Council Officers, Emergency Services and other websites.

• Event types
• Getting started
• Road closures
• Insurance
• Licensing and Temporary Event Notices
• Health and safety
• Further guidance

What sort of event does this apply to?

This is about the sort of street parties and small community events that groups of local residents get together to arrange for their neighbours. It is important to decide early what type of event you want to hold as this will determine what permissions, if any, you will need to obtain.  The differences between small street parties (community events) and larger public events are listed below:

Street parties (small community events)

• Are for local residents and neighbours only
• Publicised only to local residents and neighbours
• No licences normally necessary as long as any music is incidental and no selling is involved
• No formal risk assessment is required
• Self organised

Larger public events

• Anyone can attend
• Publicised externally through the press and wider than local street and neighbours
• Licence is usually needed
• Insurance required
• Risk assessment required
• Professional/skilled organisers

What do I need to do?

1) Getting started

Call a meeting with your neighbours and residents on your street to see whether they are interested in having the event and can help. If so:

• try to identify an organising group.
• identify all the tasks that need to be done before, during and after the event
• make a plan, listing all the tasks and who will be doing them and by when.
• The first priority will be applying for a road closure which takes 6 weeks.

2) Road closures

If you are planning a small community event on the public highway to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee then:

• You will need to apply to Highways Management at Devon County Council for a temporary road closure to carry out your street party, there is no application fee. For a Diamond Jubilee street party application pack see devon.gov.uk/ttrostreetparty.htm.
• A minimum of six weeks notice is required to process the application form.  This means that you need to apply by 20 April 2012.

Some things to consider when making your application:

• Are you thinking of only closing a section of the road? 
  If yes, from what to number to what number?
• Have you consulted neighbours and, if appropriate, local businesses about the road closure? 
  You will need to let them know at what times they will be unable to move their cars or park on the street.  This can be done by a simple photocopied leaflet distributed door to door, perhaps inviting residents and businesses to a meeting to discuss your proposal.
• Are any of the roads to be closed used by through traffic?
  If yes, you will need to send Devon County Council a traffic plan/map showing exact extent of closure and an alternative route for traffic.
• Are you planning on closing a road that is part of a bus route?
  If yes you will need to consult the bus company and attach a copy of their response to your application.
• Will access for emergency vehicles (if required) be readily available at all times?
  If no you will need to discuss this with Devon County Council and the emergency services. In the interest of safety we highly recommend that roads are accessible for emergency vehicles.
• Have most of the residents agreed to this event?
  Devon County Council will want to ensure that most people are happy with this event, so if there are any objections you should let them know.  They may be able help resolve any objections and also give advice on other aspects of your event.  The signing of the closure and diversion route must be in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual. For examples of what signs to use and where to place them please contact DCC - signs

To contact DCC for further advice on closing roads : DCC - Highways Licence Applications

Useful consultation contacts

3) Insurance

The Road Closure (RE5) application includes a declaration which the applicant should read and sign. This declaration has been introduced to replace Public Liability Insurance.

4) Licensing

Organising small private street parties is very simple and generally does not include activities that need a licence, such as selling alcohol or providing certain types of entertainment. If you want to have alcoholic drinks on sale or intend to provide entertainment to the wider public, or charge to raise money for your event then, dependent on expected number of people attending the event, you will need either a Temporary Event Notice or a Short Term Premise Licence.

Temporary Event Notices (TEN)

If you are planning to hold an event with a paying bar, providing entertainment to a larger audience or you want to serve hot food and drinks after 11.00pm you will require a  Licensing Act 2003 - temporary event notice (TEN).

For further advice please contact Exeter City Council Licensing team: ECC - licensing team

5) Health and safety

Some tips:

Clearing cars from the street

• Remind people to park elsewhere by putting a note through their door, or on their car windscreen the day of week before
• Put up barriers and closure notices early in the morning and remember to take them down at the agreed time!
• If there is an emergency or a delivery van arrives unexpectedly arrange for a member of the team to walk the vehicle on and off site to avoid accidents.
• Keep clear access for emergency access

Ladders: needed to put up bunting!

• Make sure the ladder is fully extended and set on level ground.
• If possible work in pairs so that someone can hold or foot the ladder
• Don't stand on the top rungs as you will have nothing to lean against

Barbecues

When you're cooking any kind of meat on a barbecue, such as poultry (chicken or turkey), pork, steak, burgers or sausages, make sure:

• The coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start cooking, as this means that they're hot enough.
• Frozen meat is properly thawed before you cook it.
• You turn the meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly.

Remember that meat is safe to eat only when:

• It is piping hot in the centre. 
• There is no pink meat visible.
• Any juices are clear.

It may be easier to cook the food in your oven first and then barbecue it afterwards to add to the flavour.

Barbecues are hot - make sure you are barbecuing in a safe fenced area e.g. behind a low garden wall so that the barbecue cannot be reached by children or knocked over.

Power

We recommend that all music is either acoustic or background music using battery powered music players. Remember loud music requiring amplification will invite a wider audience and also may give rise to complaints. If you are planning anything that require amplification you should contact Exeter City Council see contacts below.

For more Health and Safety or general event advice please contact:

• Exeter City Council: Health and Safety Officer Paul Barton 01392 265456
• Arts & Events Officers: Val Wilson/Shelley Mays 01392 265200

6) Further guidance

• Street party guidance

•  Electrical guidance [147kb]
•  Electrical safety for entertainers [207kb]
•  Food safety [38kb]
•  Ladder safety [54kb]
•  Propane safety [35kb]