This protocol details the agreement between Devon County Council, South Hams District of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary (Police) and South Hams District Council (‘the Strategy Group’), who will then contact the relevant bodies including Fire and Ambulance, with regards to a joint response to requests for the making of an Order under Section 21 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 for the temporary closure of public roads.  Additionally, South Hams District Council will also consult with the relevant local Parish/Town Council.

The Strategy Group will determine whether or not to approve the making of the relevant Order after taking into consideration:-

a)	the timescales involved (applications must be submitted early in the event planning process and allow sufficient time for all aspects of the proposals to be fully considered)
b)	the nature of the proposed event (certain events may require an Order under Section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984)
c)	the anticipated number of persons attending the location within the road closure
d)	the necessity for the road closure on the grounds of public safety
e)	risk assessment
f)	the length of time of the anticipated road closure
g)	probable disruption to traffic flow
h)	the safety and convenience of alternative routes suitable for the traffic which will be affected by the road closure
i)	access by emergency service vehicles to locations within the road closure zone
j)	confirmation that the event organiser accepts sole responsibility for all costs associated with the provision of all appropriate traffic signs necessary to enforce the road closure and any diversion(s)
k)	confirmation that the event organiser will make arrangements for, and accepts sole responsibility for all costs associated with the provision of any publicity material and, if necessary, notices in the local press
l)	evidence of consultation, or proposals to consult with all persons occupying premises fronting the affected streets
m)	any objections raised by other parties or individuals
n)	any other grounds deemed relevant to the application
o)	confirmation that the event organiser accepts to pay an administrative charge of £50 per order (if applicable).

The individual(s) or organisation(s) responsible for the planning, safety and conduct of the proposed event must accept full responsibility for all costs associated with the provision of any traffic signs necessary to implement the road closure and any diversion(s).  Such traffic signs and other apparatus for the control of traffic must conform to the requirements of the Devon County Council.  Furthermore, applicants must be mindful of the fact that traffic signs can only be placed on the highway, and removed, by a person who has undergone the appropriate training in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual 1991 or is authorised under Section 66 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.  The organisers of the event will be required to prepare a Traffic Signing Plan and Method Statement detailing:-

1.the proposed siting, and wording, of all necessary traffic signs required to effect the road closure and any diversion(s);

2.the time of placement, and removal, of all traffic signs, and

3.the name, address and telephone number of the person (qualified in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual 1991 or Section 66 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) responsible for the placement and removal of traffic signs.

(See Appendix B)

The Strategy Group can defer an application until the applicants have clarified matters such as signing and stewarding.

The expectation of any applicant must be that Police Officers will not be available to police any aspect of the road closure.  Only the Police or someone under their direction can legally undertake traffic regulation on the public highway.

The Police reserve the power to modify, and, if necessary, remove any road closure, on the grounds of public safety or in the event of a major incident, even if a Road Closure Order is in force.  The Police also reserve the right to assist in traffic direction if it becomes necessary for any reason.

For events other than carnivals and processions, event organisers must consider whether or not there are more suitable venues other than the public highway.

Except in special circumstances, the Strategy Group will not authorise the temporary closure of any road in excess of 8 hours in any 24 hour period.

In all cases where the proposal is to hold an event on the public highway, the first priority of the event organiser must be to obtain the necessary permission from the authorities.  Event organisers should ensure that they allow themselves sufficient time to fully plan the proposed event and requests for a Temporary Road Closure Order should be made giving suitable notice having regard to the type and scale of the event proposed.  As a general rule, applications should be submitted giving at least 2 months’ notice, however, events which may require many months of planning will obviously require applications to be submitted much earlier.

Event organisers should be aware that if they submit late applications they run the serious risk of having to postpone the proposed event or cancel it altogether.  It is important to realise that there can be no guarantee that an application will be successful, even if it is well constructed and meets the criteria.  It is, therefore, unwise for event organisers to incur expenses in promoting or advertising an event prior to obtaining approval for the staging of the event together with the appropriate Road Closure Order.

Copies of applications received, and the details contained therein, may be passed to other officials and interested parties.  Event organisers may, therefore, be contacted direct by other officials concerning certain aspects of the proposed event (ie street collections, public entertainment, food safety, health and safety issues etc) if there is a need to do so.  In some circumstances, event organisers will be required to attend a preliminary meeting with representatives of the Strategy Group to discuss their proposals.

If the proposed temporary road closure is approved, the Strategy Group will recommend that event organisers consider the appropriateness of having suitable public liability cover for the proposed event