Holding an event on council land

If you intend to hold an event on council land, please read the application process detailed below.

Event application overview

Cheltenham's council owned parks and open spaces offer a range of venues for all sorts of outdoor events. Events range from large circuses and funfairs to smaller local community events such as fetes and fun days.

Expert advice is available for all people who wish to stage an event in the park
Parks can be hired at extremely competitive rates
Community events are actively promoted by the council

Which space?

We have put together an interactive map to help you decide which of twenty-one council owned parks and open spaces are most suitable for holding your event.

The map shows the location of each site, access to transport links and where else within the town is accessible from the site, within a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute cycle.

By selecting the ‘Parks information’ tab you are able to follow the instructions to find useful details about each park, the facilities it offers such as car parking and utilities; capacity; previous events and photographs of the space.

You can also search by event theme so, for instance, if you wanted to hold a live music event, select the ‘Parks by theme’ tab and the relevant theme. The parks suitable for holding this type of event will be shown on the map.

View the events site map

Guidance notes and application process

If you are considering organising an event on council land, please read through our special event guidance notes and information about the application process. This information is important as it will tell you what measures you need to put in place to run your event, which licences you might need to apply for, and give you an idea of how long your application is likely to take, depending on the size and type of event.

Informal gatherings

Informal gatherings of people for recreational use of the park do not need to go through our formal event process.

Find out more about informal gatherings

Special event guidance notes

Timescales

To allow us enough time to properly consider your application, we require applications to be submitted at least three months prior to your event. Many event organisers have told us that six months is a more realistic time frame to obtain all the licences required for their full event. For our part, we will do our best to approve your event application as soon as we are able which is why we ask for as many details as you can provide us with from the outset.

If your event does not exceed an expected audience target of 499 people and there is no amplified/ live music then it is likely that the application will be processed more quickly than the recommended 3 months. For example a children's party or small community event in the park.

Electricity

Electricity supplies, where required, must be installed by a qualified electrician. Under no circumstances must you or any unqualified person associated with your event attempt to make a connection to any electricity supply equipment. If electricity is required please contact us to check its availability. Electricity used is not included in the hire charge and a separate invoice for its use will be raised after your event.

Licensing objections

It may be that relevant objections are raised on one or more of your licensing applications, in which case your applications may have to be referred to Cheltenham Borough Council's licensing committee. Please allow at least three months for applications to ensure that the licensing section has sufficient time to deal with your applications.

Public toilets

These are available at most sites but it is often necessary to bring in extra cubicles for larger scale events.

Below is a guide to the minimum requirements as required by the health and safety executive:

Female toilets

1 cubicle for each hundred females. So 1 cubicle for 100, 2 cubicles for 200 and so on.

Male toilets

1 cubicle for 100 or fewer males
2 cubicles for 101 - 500 males
3 cubicles for 501 - 1000 males +1 additional cubicle for every additional 500 males and 1.5 metres of urinal accommodation per 500 males

Cubicles should contain a hand-wash basin which should be provided with anti-bacterial soap or antiseptic hand-wipes where hot water is not provided. If paper hand towels are supplied, arrangements for their regular disposal and replacement should be made.

Alcohol and entertainment

Most of the parks in Cheltenham already have a licence that may permit the use of the park for the sale of alcohol, regulated entertainment and late night refreshment.

If you would like to take advantage of this licence, you will have to obtain the required permission to use the licence. To do this, or if you have further queries, please contact the licensing department.

If you require additional permission (for example if the current licence does not permit the type of activity you wish to have or the licence hours are not long enough for your event) you will need to submit a Temporary Events Notice (TEN).

The licensing section must have at least 5 clear working days notice of a TEN and the licensable area is limited to 499 people.

You should be aware that certain parts of Cheltenham town centre are Alcohol Free Zones and it will be an offence to consume alcohol in those areas when asked not to do so by a police officer.

If your event includes live or amplified music, you will need to contact the Performing Rights Society (PRS) on 0800 0684828. They will advise you if any charge will apply. Noise levels must comply with the Noise Council’s code of practice in consultation with the council’s public protection team. Please view the council's noise conditions.

Raffles and lotteries

If you intend to hold a raffle or lottery during your event, you will only need consent from the council if the sale of tickets and the draw does not take place on the same day at the event.

If tickets have been sold in advance of the day, you will need to apply to the council for registration.

Find out more about lotteries and how to register.

Markets or trading stalls

Most parks in Cheltenham will fall within the remit of street trading legislation. If you are proposing to sell or offer anything for sale during your event, you will require street trading consent from the council.

Objects on the highway

Parks fall within the definition of a public highway and, as a result, you will need to obtain consent to place any object in a park or on the highway. The only exemption is if the object forms part of street trading consent in which case you do not need to obtain separate permission for the object.

Find out more about objects on the highway and how to make an application.

Charitable collections

If you want to collect money for a charity during your event in the park, you must have a street collection permit. Permits are free and relatively easy to apply for provided the requested date is available.

Display of advertising

If you plan to put up posters or banners on the public highway please read the information from our planning department about consent for displaying advertisements.

Release of sky lanterns and balloons

We have a duty of care to ensure the safety of visitors and the local community. In the interest of safety and protecting the surrounding environment we do not permit the launching of balloons, ‘sky lanterns’, or items of a similar nature, from council owned land and premises.

Your application

As soon as we are able we will confirm the approval of your event and ask you to sign a formal land use agreement. Please ensure that you read this document and agree to the terms and conditions specified before returning it to us.

If your event is taking place in less than three months, please contact us prior to submitting your application. It may still be possible to approve your event although this may take considerably more time and effort from your event planning team.

Legal administration fee

For all bespoke Land Use Agreements (LUAs) for large scale special events a £150 legal administration charge will be added to the overall cost of hiring the land.

The application process

Please complete our event submission form which will be taken as your initial expression of interest and will give us an overview of your proposed event. We will use this form to make an assessment of the scale of the event being proposed.

Event submission form

Typically events where less than 500 people are expected to attend will be considered Category A events.

Typically events where 500 people or more are expected to attend are considered large scale public events (Category B) which will be referred to the Event Consultative Group (ECG), though smaller events may require the involvement of the ECG depending on the type of event.

If you are not referred to the ECG then the event application will be passed on to the appropriate department.

If ECG is required then you will be contacted with a date to present your event plan and details to the group. At this meeting you may be asked about your experience and competence in managing events.

If the event is likely to require significant input from other agencies, officers may approach other agencies with a view to setting up a Safety Advisory Group (SAG). This group will be made up of officers from the council as well as representatives from other agencies such as the police, fire service and county council highways depending on the event.

For hire of parks

You will be asked to provide documentation of public liability insurance to £5 million, risk assessments relating to the activities at the event and a site plan.

A land use agreement (LUA) will be put in place for the event including any special conditions that may apply. Terms and conditions of hire will be included.

There is a pricing structure for hire of parks. The fee charged depends on whether the event is commercial, community or charity.

Once all the relevant documents and payment is received, you will be issued with an event approval certificate which should be displayed during your event.

Further information about organising an event on Cheltenham Borough Council land

It is your responsibility to liaise with the police, fire and other organisations to make them aware and to ensure the success of your event
No event may take place on council land without the prior completion of a formal land use agreement
Proof of permission to use the site may be requested by any officer of the council and must be produced on demand
It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary licences and certificates and provide the head of green space development with copies of such licences at least 14 days prior to occupation of the land

Please read our special events privacy statement to understand how the information from your application is used.