Sports grounds licences
Safety certificates for sports grounds
A safety certificate is required for football or
other sports grounds with a capacity to accommodate more than
10,000 spectators, in the case of Premiership or Football
League grounds in England and Wales. Such grounds are defined
under the Safety at Sports Ground Act 1975 as “designated
grounds”.
A safety certificate may be either:
- a general safety certificate issued for the use of a sports
ground for a specified activity, or activities, during an
indefinite period;
- a special safety certificate for the use of a sports ground for
a specified activity or activities on a specified occasion or
occasions.
To be eligible for a safety certificate, you must be likely to
be in a position to prevent contravention of the terms and
conditions of a certificate.
A summary of the regulation relating to this certificate is
available
here.
Safety certificates for regulated stands at sports grounds
The Fire Safety & Places of Sport Act 1987
requires that football and other sports grounds outside the
criteria of a “designated ground” that have covered accommodation
for more than 500 people, obtain a “regulated stand
certificate”.
A safety certificate may be either:
- a general safety certificate which covers the use of the stand
for viewing an activity, or a number of activities, specified in
the certificate for an indefinite period which starts on a
specified date; or
- a special safety certificate which covers the use of the stand
for viewing a certain specified activity or activities on a certain
specified occasion or occasions.
To be eligible for a general safety certificate, you must be the
person responsible for:
- the management of the ground; or
- the activity to be viewed from the stand on that occasion.
A summary of the regulation relating to this
licence are available
here.
At present, there are no such facilities in
Tower Hamlets. You can apply
for a sports grounds safety certificate online through
Businesslink.
Further information
Copies of the Safety at Sports Ground Act 1975 and the Fire
Safety & Places of Sport Act 1987 can be obtained from
Office of Public Sector
Information. Or a copy can be inspected at the Council
offices where you may also obtain further help or advice.
Contact us:
Tower Hamlets Licensing Team
Mulberry Place (AH)
PO Box 55739
5 Clove Crescent
London E14 1BY
Opening hours are: 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to
Friday
Tel: 020 7364 5008
Fax: 020 7364 0863
Email: licensing@towerhamlets.gov.uk