Planning a public event in Bromley

Lots of different public events take place across Bromley every year.  Many of these take place on council owned parks and opens spaces, whilst others are on private land.

Everyone involved wants these events to run successfully, safely and without incident.

If you're planning to hold an event which involves a large gathering of people, Bromley Council coordinate a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to help in the planning and coordination of large public events.

Safety Advisory Group (SAG) 

The role of the Safety Advisory Group is to provide advice to individuals and organisations planning a public event from small fun runs through to major public gatherings.

The SAG is made up of representatives from the council, police, fire brigade and ambulance services and other relevant bodies. They meet at regular intervals, or when necessary to review the plans for large scale events and advise on public safety.

This advice is in addition to any legal requirements and government guidance. The recommendations given by SAG are advisory only and it is for the event organiser to take such steps that are necessary to ensure an event is undertaken safely. However individual SAG members have their own legislative powers that may relate to parts of the events such as noise and traffic.

Notify the council about your event

It is essential that event organisers, notify the council about a planned public event, as early in the planning process as possible. 

Event organisers should provide details about the event. This will allow the group to assess the level of involvement the SAG will need to have and to assist with planning the event and providing you with advice on a range of issues including safety, street closures and licences that may be required. 

As a guide we would expect at least six months advance notice for a large event with more than 1000 people attending or where public safety is a concern and three months for smaller lower risk events, with more than 500 people attending. More advice on this is given in the Safety Advisory Guidance documents below.

Every public event that is notified will be assessed and where necessary the support of a full Safety Advisory Group (SAG) or an Event Safety Team (EST) will be offered. 

The following list gives an idea of the types of event which we should be informed about:

  • Fetes, fairs etc.
  • Open air concerts and music festivals.
  • Trade shows.
  • Sporting events.
  • Horse shows, agricultural shows, dog shows car, caravan shows and similar.
  • Open air entertainment including theatre, opera and historic re-enactments.
  • Firework displays.
  • Large scale company parties.
  • Processions, marches and carnivals.
  • Street parties.
  • Religious events

Permission to use the land where the event is taking place

Always check who owns the land where your event is to be held and obtain permission to use it. Proof of authority to use the premises or site may be requested by the SAG at an early stage in the event process.

Further guidance for event organisers

The links below direct you to essential documents that will assist every event organiser in the planning, organisation and running of events from small fetes to large pop concerts. Please ensure you have referred to these when undertaking your event planning process as both the SAG and EST will also use these documents when considering your event.