Policy for the hire of public open spaces

The borough of Fareham has a large quantity of open space and from time to time the Council receives requests to hire them to host a number of different types of events. With the exception of one or two requests the hiring's of open space tend to be for events of a 'low key' nature and attract only a small number of local people.

What open spaces are available for hire

1. Generally, it is the larger open spaces and recreation grounds that attract applications for the hire of events.
2. The following open spaces are the most requested sites with many of the hiring's having been hosted on them on an annual basis for over a decade.
   • Titchfield Recreation Ground;
   • Hunts Pond Road;
   • Stubbington Recreation Ground;
   • Salterns Open Space, Hill Head;
   • Park Lane Recreation Ground;
   • Castle Street Recreation Ground;
   • Strawberry Fields;
   • Portchester Park, South Field;
   • Bath Lane Recreation Ground; and
   • Sarisbury Green.
3. Where appropriate the Council will try to accommodate requests for formal hiring's of open space in the borough however the views of the Executive Member for Leisure and Community and Ward Councillors will be taken into account with any request for a hiring.

Hire of open space requests

4. Requests for the hire of open space are received from a variety of individuals, groups, charitable organisations and private companies.
5. The following types of hiring are typical of the requests that are most commonly applied for.
   • Gymkhanas & horse/pony shows;
   • Strawberry Fayres;
   • Sailing Regattas;
   • Theatrical performances;
   • Car parking;
   • Titchfield and Portchester Carnival;
   • Picnics, family gatherings & children's activities; and
   • Community events to celebrate national events i.e. Royal wedding etc.

Exclusions and Restrictions

6. There are a number of hiring requests that this Council will not entertain on open space, or have severe restrictions requiring discussion with this Council. These are as follows:
   • BBQ's on the beach or seaside area;
   • Animal orientated circuses;
   • Bonfires;
   • Car boot sales
   • Restricted number of funfairs;
   • Restrictions on fireworks; and
   • Restrictions on inclusion of animals in any event, e.g. donkeys, goldfish.
7. Fareham Borough Council reserves the right to refuse any application.

The approval of applicationsrecieved for events

8. When an application is received by an organisation, consideration will be given to it by officers and approval will be sought, via email, from the Executive Member and the relevant Ward Councillors.
9. This process will be the case for most hiring requests as they are usually events that have historically taken place and are well established in the Community.

Events requiring Executive Approval

10. Should the Council receive an application to hire an open space for an event that has never taken place in the borough before then advice will be sought from the Executive Member for Leisure and Community and a report to the Executive will be required for formal approval.

Hire of open space applications

11. In all cases, an application form shall be completed and submitted to the Council at least four weeks prior to the date of the hiring.
12. Agreement to the hiring of an open space will only be confirmed subject to the requested location and date being available and the event being considered suitable for the location.
13. An Agreement must be signed by the applicant and returned to the Council together with any fees payable at least seven working days prior to the event taking place.
14. Proof of the hirer's public liability insurance to the sum of £5,000,000 must be provided to the Council at least seven working days prior to any event taking place.
15. A risk assessment must be provided to the Council by the hirer at least seven working days prior to the event taking place.
16. Any fees payable by the applicant will be either in accordance with the Council's fees and charges or at the discretion of the Director of Customer Services and the Portfolio holder for Community, whichever is applicable or more appropriate at the time of the hiring. Payment should be received by the Council together with the receipt of the Legal Agreement unless alternative arrangements have been made and agreed in advance.
17. Fareham Borough Council reserves the right to cancel any application if documents or fees requested are not provided or within a time frame stipulated in the agreement.

Hire of open space by small community groups

18. Residents are free to use the Council's public open space in their local area for such informal gatherings as a place to hold their Royal Wedding/Diamond Jubilee Celebration events.
19. The Council would waive the normal application fee for the hire of the open space and would not require organisers to hold public liability insurance for small scale community based events involving family, friends and neighbours. (However, organisers might wish to consider opting for insurance to protect their interests).
20. Organisers would be requested to complete a simple application form confirming details of the organiser etc (who, what, where, when etc). Organisers would be reminded that if the event involved the sale of alcohol, they would need to apply for a license.

Licensing

21. Under the new act there are 3 licensable activities:-
    • Sale or supply of Alcohol (incl. clubs);
    • Provision of hot food or hot drink between 11pm and 5am; and
    • Regulated Entertainment
      
      Regulated Entertainment includes the following:-
      1. performance of a play;
      2. exhibition of a film;
      3. an indoor sporting event;
      4. a boxing or wrestling entertainment;
      5. a performance of live music;
      6. any playing of recorded music;
      7. a performance of dance;
      8. anything similar to e), f) and g) above;
      9. making music;
      10. dancing; and
      11. anything similar to i) or j) above.
22. If the purpose of hire is for any of the above a licence must be obtained under the Licensing Act 2003, from the Licensing Section of Fareham Borough Council. There are two types of licence:-
    
    A premises licence, where there are going to be more than 500 persons present at the event or if the event will last for more than 96 hours continuously. These must be applied for at least 2 months prior to the event.
    
    A temporary event notice attracting less than 500 people must be applied for at least 10 working days before the date of the event.
     
23. Applicants may be required to satisfy the Safety Advisory Group as to the safety arrangements proposed for any event prior to a licence being granted.
24. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain any appropriate licences e.g. premises licence or temporary event notice as appropriate, prior to the start of the event. The Licensing Officer at the Council should be contacted as early as possible for more information.

Additional Requirements

25. It is the responsibility of the applicant to leave the open space in a clean and tidy condition immediately following the hiring. Any rubbish collected should be taken from the site and disposed of by the applicant.
    
    If your event is on a large scale or being hired for commercial purposes, arrangements can be made with this Council prior to the event, for waste bins to be provided and collected. Such requests would be at the hirer's cost.
    
    There will also be a delivery fee of £50.00.

26. Should any damage occur to the open space during the hiring, any reinstatement works, and costs will be the responsibility of the hirer. However, any such remedial works should be undertaken only with the agreement of this Council and dependant on the actual damage.
27. Should keys be required to enter the open space, these can be collected from the Civic Offices and should be returned within 2 days of the event.