A right royal party

After the success in Hertsmere of street parties to celebrate the royal wedding, are you planning a street party to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee?

Celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee, which marks 60 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, will be focused on an extended bank holiday weekend in June.

The weekend has been extended by moving the late May bank holiday to Monday 4 June and adding an extra Jubilee bank holiday on Tuesday 5 June 2012.

Street parties are a great British tradition and a good way to get to know your neighbours but if you’re thinking of organising one, you will need to apply for permission from Hertfordshire County Council (HCC).

Permission is needed to temporarily close the road so that your event is kept safe but don’t worry, the application process is easy – simply visit the Herts County Council website  where you will find more information and an application form. Alternatively call 0300 123 4047. The application deadline is 1 May.

If you are involved in planning a larger public event, where alcohol is being sold for instance or you are expecting a large number of people, you need to contact Hertsmere Borough Council on 020 8207 2277 and speak to our licensing team as you may need a number of licenses to allow the event to go ahead.
Use our checklist to help you plan your event. Please follow the individual links to get more information on each topic:

• Event licensing - If you’re organising an event at which up to 500 people may attend then you may need what is known as a Temporary Event Notice. If you are planning an even larger event then it may well require a Premises Licence. Both have certain time lines attached to their issue so if you are not sure contact your local licensing team to discuss this as soon as possible. You should also check out the Event Notification Form which allows organisers of events to notify the Safety Advisory Team of any planned events. If necessary a meeting can be arranged to discuss your proposal in more detail.
• Food safety tips – catering from home for functions is not something to be taken lightly. You need to plan carefully, avoid contaminating food, not make foods too far in advance, make sure you have enough fridge and freezer space and do not leave food standing around for a long time. You also need to take extra care when transporting food to different locations. For more info see our guide to home catering.
• Personal Hygiene – before handling food your hands could become contaminated so wash them before you start food preparation. For more info see our tips for preparing food at home on page five of our guide to home catering.

More information on street parties, including insurance, can be found on the Streets Alive website . The Big Lunch website also contains useful information for planning a street party.