COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 12, 2022

QUESTION NO. 8

QUESTION: Councillor K. Mahon

To ask the Chief Executive for a report on the role that South Dublin County Council plays in the granting of permission for public events and concerts in the Counties parks and facilities. The report to include the measures taken to ensure that the correct organisational measures are in place, if the Council receives fees for the use of its facilities and to confirm where the responsibility lies to ensure proper and safe access and egress, including public transport.

REPLY:

Applications for events to be held in public parks and/or on public open spaces are administered by the Public Realm section of EWCC.   An application form must be completed and returned along with a copy of the organiser’s public liability insurance in the sum of €6.5 million specifically indemnifying South Dublin County Council.   Depending on the nature and size of the event, safety management, risk management and litter plans are requested and examined.  Applications are assessed in conjunction with outdoor staff to ensure the location requested is suitable for the proposed event.  When a full appraisal of all documents submitted is completed and location examined, permission is granted which has standard conditions attached as well as specific conditions tailored to each event, where required.  This process is for events where less than 5,000 are in attendance in parks and open spaces only. Most events held in parks are typically between 50 and 500 people attending. Fees are only charged where a commercial activity is taking place e.g., filming, photoshoots, exercise classes etc.

In instances where events are taking place in venues such as Tallaght Stadium there is a rigorous event management process in place, which requires the submission of an event management plan that deals with all logistical elements, including transportation, parking etc, as well as health and safety requirements and the appointment of an event controller, who will have direct responsibility for the event. Allied to this, all insurances and indemnifications need to be put in place, complete with direct engagement with the Gardai and the Civil Defence, as well as the HSE in certain instances. Fees for the hire of venues such as the Stadium are required and vary depending on the scale and nature of the event.

For events over 5,000 attendees, there is a comprehensive event licence process in place, which is statutorily set out under the Planning and Development Act that addresses all requirements associated with hosting an event, ranging from traffic management, operational hours, consultation and engagement. It the responsbility of the event controller to ensure adequate public transport arrangements are in place for an event following direct enagagement and guidance from the licensing authority and the Gardai.