Application Forms

Safety Certificate for a Sports Ground:

Safety Certificate for a Regulated Stand at a Sports Ground:

Application Process

To make application the following must be submitted:

• Application form
• Location / site plan
• Risk assessment
• Contingency plans
• Safety policy for spectators
• Electrical certificate

Requirements in relation to sports grounds are far reaching and will also include but will not be restricted to the following:

• Structural integrity of the stand/stadia
• Provisions for means of escape
• Adequate fire precautions
• Emergency services co-ordination
• Provision of suitable management strategies (i.e. stewarding, crowd control, match day safety arrangements, evacuation procedures, contingency plans, etc.)

We will consider if the applicant is in a position to prevent any breach of the terms and conditions of a certificate.

We, as the local authority must send a copy of an application for a safety certificate to the chief police officer of the area, the fire and rescue authority and building authority.

Certificates are issued to last indefinitely or alternatively may contain an expiry date. Under the legislation the local authority has ongoing control and powers of enforcement so as to ensure reasonable standards of safety are maintained.

The legislation allows for the issue of prohibition notices to prevent spectator access to any sports ground or part when it is considered a safety risk is immediate.

If an application is made to transfer a certificate, the local authority must determine if the person to whom the certificate is to be transferred would qualify for the issue of a certificate. The applicant may be the current holder of the certificate or the person to whom the certificate is to be transferred.

The local authority must send a copy of a transfer application to the chief police officer of the area, the fire and rescue authority and the building authority.  They shall consult them about any proposed amendment, replacement or transfer.

Tacit Consent

No. It is in the public interest that the authority must process your application before it can be granted. If you have not heard from the local authority within a reasonable period, please contact us.

The target time period is 60 calendar days.

Background and Eligibility Criteria

• 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.

• 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

   - 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

   - the activity to be viewed from the stand on that occasion.

  Safety certificates are obtained from the local authority in which the sports ground is located.

   

  These legislative provisions do not apply to indoor arenas, however, a sports ground with a retractable roof that is open for some sport being played will fall under the definition of a sports ground.

   

Fees

There are currently no fees associated with these applications.

Supplementary Information

Plans and attached documents submitted by the applicant should be clear and legible in all material respects, capable of being read, reproduced in written form and used for subsequent reference by our inspectors and responsible authorities. Where this is not the case the applicant / agent will be contacted to resubmit the plans.

Sports grounds which do not need a certificate, should ensure that people working at the ground (as well as spectators) are not put at risk. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, protects people using these buildings as well as those working in larger certificated venues. 

Conditions may be applied at the discretion of the Council.

Complaint and Other Redress

Failed Application Redress: Contact the Local Authority in the first instance. Any Certificate holder who wishes to appeal against a condition attached to, or the omission of anything from, their safety certificate, or against the refusal to amend or replace a safety certificate, or the service of a prohibition notice may appeal to the Magistrates court. They may also appeal to the county court against an order of the Magistrate's court.

Licence Holder Redress: Contact the Local Authority in the first instance. Any Certificate holder who wishes to appeal against a condition attached to, or the omission of anything from, their safety certificate, or against the refusal to amend or replace a safety certificate, or the service of a prohibition notice may appeal to the Magistrates court. They may also appeal to the county court against an order of the Magistrate's court.

Consumer Complaint: View our consumer complaints procedure.

Regulations and Guidance