CULTURE & OUTDOOR NOEA
NOEA Scotland raises fears over new ‘Zone Ex’ guidelines
Statutory guidance for sports grounds could hit event organisers
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN T
he National Outdoor Events Association in Scotland has raised con- cern over new statutory guidelines which could
spark a rise in costs for outdoor event owners. NOEA Scotland, which repre-
sents the interests of the outdoor events industry north of the Border, said the sixth edition of Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide), published at the end of October, includes new guidelines for a ‘Zone Ex’ (External Zone) which replaces previous ‘Last Mile’ guidance. Te rules are designed to help sports ground owners and operators determine a safety capacity for their venue and is used by architects and designers around the world, and are pub- lished by Te Sports Ground Safety Authority.
BUT ACCORDING to Tom Clements, Chair of NOEA Scot- land, some of the guidance around the new ‘Zone Ex’ - which defines the footprint of an event i.e. how far beyond a sports ground an event extends – could be open to interpretation by local authori- ties and increase the size of the area for which event owners are responsible. He said: “My concern is that this
could become an issue; the Green Guide has been for regulated sports grounds in the past but this is statutory guidance so it could be open for local authorities to widen the interpretation of Zone Ex to all events. If that happens, it could mean responsible event organisers will carry the responsibility for an event to an interderminate outside footprint.” Te guide, first published in 1973, dictates that stadium
Tom Clements, Chair of NOEA Scotland
operators must produce a plan to protect guests should a terrorist attack either inside or outside the facility. Te rule comes in light of recent incidents at the Manchester Arena and the Stade de France in Paris. Similar to the Purple Guide for
music events and festivals, the Green Guide is a statutory instru- ment and therefore carries legal weight. Clements said: “It could end
up with event organisers bear- ing responsibility for stewarding, security and even rubbish clear- ance miles and miles down the road.” Clements will be speaking this
year at EventIt on March 21 at the SEC in Glasgow; he will be covering ground on the regulatory environment for events organisers.
SOME OF the issues also likely to provoke debate include the ongo- ing concern over the high cost of police charging for events as well as Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs). A spokesman for the Sports
“IT COULD END UP WITH EVENT ORGANISERS BEARING RESPONSIBILITY FOR STEWARDING, SECURITY AND EVEN RUBBISH CLEARANCE MILES AND MILES DOWN THE ROAD”
Tom Clements, Chair of NOEA Scotland
Grounds Safety Authority said: “Stadium and event operators can no longer think about the space outside the stadium in isolation. When considering safety, the sum of all parts is critical to creating as safe an environment as possible for everyone at the ground. Tere are many challenges to ensur- ing safety in this area, not least of which is that it is unlikely that the venue owner has any legal responsibility for people within it. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed, working across dis- ciplines such as safety, police, stadium management, ambulance and other key stakeholders to ensure that someone has the lead for safety in this area. “While it is new to our guid-
ance documents, the concept itself isn’t new. Te London 2012 Olym- pics used this principle – calling it the last mile. While this area may not be the direct responsibility of the stadium owner, it’s important that all parties are involved in the effective management of this zone to ensure that spectators are safe during ingress and egress.” n
EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2019 | 19
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