Terms and Conditions
Temporary Community Centre, Pathfinder Way, Northstowe
Booking Policy and Procedure
1How bookings can be made
1.1: Bookings will be made (for the spaces as defined in Figure 1 below) between South Cambridgeshire District Council acting on behalf of the Temporary Community Centre Management Board (“the Board”) and the Hirer.
1.2: Bookings must be made by a single primary contact who is over 18 years of age (“the Hirer”).
1.3: Provisional bookings may be made. If an overlapping request for the space at the same time is made, confirmation of the booking will be required, or the booking will be lost. The first in time shall prevail.
1.4: Block bookings may be made at the discretion at the Board and such enquiries must be made via northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk or in person through the Northstowe Community Development Officers. It is required that any Hirer undertaking a block booking must evidence a DBS check where activities for children or vulnerable adults without the supervision of parents or carers is to take place and provide a child protection policy where appropriate on request.
1.5: Block bookings will be permissible for a maximum of a 13-week period i.e. a community group could only book a maximum of 13 sessions at any one time. Repeat block bookings are permitted, however each block booking will be treated as an individual booking and will be subject to review and acceptance at the discretion of the Board.
1.6: The Board has absolute discretion as to whether the booking shall be accepted.
1.7: This Board consists of representatives from the following organisations:
1.7.1: South Cambridgeshire District Council
1.7.2: Cambridgeshire County Council
1.7.3: Northstowe Town Council
1.7.4: Northstowe Hub
1.8: Bookings are to be made primarily in the format of a dedicated online booking form on the South Cambridgeshire District Council website or by email to northstowe.community@scambs.gov.uk. Bookings in person for those without internet access may be made directly with the Northstowe Community Development Officers. The Northstowe Community Development Officers shall ensure that the booking is entered onto the Council website, where the booking will be made visible via a Google Calendar. (Details of private bookings will not be shared, other than indicating that the space is booked at a specific time and unavailable for hire see 1.14).
1.9: Should an invoice be required by the Hirer this can be arranged on request but will not normally be raised for amounts less than £100.
1.10: No booking can be taken without the Hirer confirming their agreement to the full Terms and Conditions (below).
1.11: All bookings will consist of the following information:
- Name of Primary Contact and organisation (if any)
- Confirmation that primary contact is over 18
- Email address
- Phone number
- Event name for booking calendar
- Brief description of event for booking calendar
- Long description / notes
- Date, time and duration
- Whether the booking is a repeat booking
- Area(s) of the Temporary Community Centre to be booked
- Type of Event
1.12: The Hirer will provide copies of all required licences for their event. This may include but is not limited to: drinks license, DBS checks, public entertainment licence, proof of PAT test, performing rights licences and any other licence required by law.
1.13: Full payment of a confirmed booking must be received in cleared funds before the event (where payment is made online), otherwise the Hirer is to be invoiced in which case invoices will be payable within 7 days of the invoice date.
1.14: Data will be stored by South Cambridgeshire District Council. “Event name for booking calendar”, “Brief Description for Booking Calendar” and “Date, time and duration” will be published. All other information will be held in accordance with South Cambridgeshire District Council Privacy Notice.
Figure 1:Bookable spaces within the temporary community centre.
Cost
2.1: Rooms available for hire are shown in Figure 1, above.
2.2: When the two assembly rooms are booked together, access at no additional charge to the enclosed outdoor space at the rear of the building is exclusive and automatic.
2.3: When the assembly rooms are booked separately, use of the outdoor space is not automatic. If use of the outdoor space is requested at the time of booking, then permission for use of the outdoor space may be given at the discretion of the Board, based on whether use of the outdoor space would be compatible with any concurrent booking for the other assembly room or wider building.
2.4: The café area is not a hireable space; however, the Board will schedule a structured programme of use of this space, which will be visible on the Google Calendar for the facility and held on the Council’s website. At other times the kitchenette and café area will be available for use by Hirers and the public.
2.5: Hire charges are given in Appendix 1 and will be subject to annual review at the discretion of the Board and South Cambridgeshire District Council, with any changes effective from 01 April in each calendar year.
2.6: Pricing for room hire charges varies according to the category of use and hirer. The “Local or for benefit of local community” price category includes use for classes that charge participants for the purposes of making a profit, as well as local private hires (non-commercial).
2.7: The Board’s, or its designated representative’s, decision regarding which pricing category is applied is final.
2.8:All Costs given are per hour, the period of booking must cover set-up and set-down time.
2.9: Kickstart discounts are available to local groups – details can be obtained by e-mailing Northstowe.Community@scambs.gov.uk
Terms and Conditions
The Terms and Conditions incorporate and include the Booking Policy and Procedure set out above.
Basic Conditions
3.1: The Hirer is the specific person who has booked use of the Temporary Community Centre.
3.2: The Hirer, if acting on behalf of a constituted group or company, confirms they have all necessary authority to make the booking and takes personal liability for that as a private booking.
3.3: Should the main contact change, all information must be given for the new contact.
3.4: The Hirer shall not imply any association with or endorsement by any member of the Board nor the developers of Northstowe, without their express permission in writing.
3.5: The Board (or an authorised representative of the Board) reserves the right to refuse any booking.
3.6: The Board reserves the right to access the Temporary Community Centre during any booking. This could include inspections for the purpose of confirming compliance with room occupancy limits or any other aspect of the Terms and Conditions of hire.
3.7: There may be concurrent bookings of the Temporary Community Centre rooms and therefore other users will have access to shared spaces, unless exclusive use of the Temporary Community Centre has been booked.
3.8: The Hirer undertakes to leave the premises clean, neat and tidy with no physical alterations or modifications to the building, fittings or contents. The kitchen areas should be left in the state set out in the checklist displayed in the kitchens.
3.9: The Hirer understands that other rooms may be in use and undertakes not to cause disturbance or annoyance, nor cause nuisance or disruption to the neighbouring residential properties.
3.10: The Hirer undertakes to inform those attending their event, activity or meeting of the authorised parking places (in accordance with the Travel Plan, available to view on the Temporary Community Centre booking page of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s website) and will monitor whether their attendees are using these bays; the Hirer understands that nuisance parking on the part of those attending any event, activity or meeting forming part of their booking could result in future bookings being refused by the Board.
3.11: The Hirer understands that they must state in their booking form whether they wish to bring sound equipment onto the premises, describing how and when it will be used. It is at the discretion of the Board to agree the use of sound equipment and the hirer must comply with any conditions of use of the sound equipment (guided by the Event Management Plan for the venue, visible on the Temporary Community Centre booking page of South Cambridgeshire District Council website) imposed by the Board.
3.12: Any online booking shall be made on these Terms and Conditions and the contract will be formed when the Board (through its representative) has received the Hirer’s payment.
3.13: South Cambridgeshire District Council may cancel any booking at their absolute discretion. Any Payments made on account shall be refunded in full.
Insurance & Indemnity
4(a) The Hirer shall be liable for and indemnify South Cambridgeshire District Council in respect of:
(i) the cost of repair of any damage (including accidental and malicious damage) done to any part of the premises including the curtilage thereof or the contents of the premises caused during the undertaking of the hiring by person(s) attending the event the subject of the hire;
(ii) all claims, losses, damages and costs made against or incurred by South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Board, volunteers, agents or invitees in respect of damage or loss of property or injury to persons arising as a result of the use of the premises (including the storage of equipment) by the Hirer;
(iii) all claims, losses, damages and costs made against or incurred by South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Board, volunteers, agents or invitees as a result of any nuisance caused to a third party as a result of the use of the premises by the Hirer, and subject to sub-clause (b), the Hirer shall indemnify and keep indemnified accordingly the South Cambridgeshire District Council, Board, volunteers, agents and invitees against such liabilities; and
iv) all losses, claims, demands, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses or other liability in any way arising from any breach of the Hirer’s obligations contained in these Terms and Conditions.
(b) The indemnity granted by the hirer at clause 4(a) shall exclude any loss, damage or injury arising by reason of the negligence of any one of South Cambridgeshire District Council or the Board;
(c) Any commercial or other formally constituted group or association shall provide evidence of their own liability insurances to satisfy the requirements of clause 4 (a), such insurance to have a limit of indemnity of not less than £1,000,000 (One Million Pounds); and
(d) For private hires of the premises, organised activities and/or entertainment provided by a third party must also comply with clause 4(c) such insurance to have limit of indemnity of not less than £1,000,000 (One Million Pounds).
Accidents and dangerous occurrences
5.1: Any failure of equipment must be reported as soon as possible to the Board or its duly appointed representative.
5.2: Any damage caused to the premises must be reported as soon as possible to the Board or its duly appointed representative.
5.3:The Hirer must report all accidents involving injury as soon as possible and complete the relevant section in the Temporary Community Centre’s accident book.
Restrictions
6.1: No flammable material may be brought into the Temporary Community Centre except by prior arrangement with the Board.
6.2: No decorations that might catch fire, such as polystyrene, may be brought into the Temporary Community Centre without express permission in writing from the Board
6.3: No decorations must be fixed to the walls or left at the Temporary Community Centre following the period of hire.
6.4: No smoking is allowed anywhere at the Temporary Community Centre. Hirers will be expected to ensure that anyone attending an event, activity or meeting they have booked will be made aware of this prohibition.
6.5: No fires / BBQs may be made or used without express permission in writing from the Board.
6.6: No heaters allowed.
6.7: No Audio equipment will be allowed to be brought onto the premises without the express permission in writing from the Board. If permission is granted volume checks will be required for use of any audio equipment, as set out in the Event Management Plan.
6.8: No private bookings for parties etc will be permitted to extend beyond 9PM on any evening, unless an exception is agreed by the Board.
6.9: No cars parked in the marked parking bays (restricted to use by blue badge holders) must be left with their engine running or with radios playing at levels audible outside the vehicle.
6.10: No animals or birds (except Guide Dogs and Assistance Dogs) may be brought onto the site without permission.
6.11: No posters or advertisements shall be affixed to the walls or notice boards without permission from the Board.
6.12: No literature or flyers will be left in communal areas without prior permission from the Board.
Keys
7.1: In the case that the Hirer is also an approved Keyholder the following applies:
7.1.1: Keys to the Temporary Community Centre can be found in the key safe. The combination for this will be supplied on booking.
7.1.2: The Hirer is responsible for keys, unlocking and locking the Temporary Community Centre.
7.1.3: No room(s) other than those booked for use by the Hirer must be unlocked.
7.1.4: The keys must not be taken off site without written permission.
7.1.5: Unauthorised use of the Temporary Community Centre will result in refusal of subsequent bookings.
Sale of goods
The Hirer shall, if selling goods on the premises, comply with Fair Trading Laws.
No rights
The Hiring Agreement constitutes permission only for the Hirer to use the premises for the agreed duration and confers no tenancy or other right of occupation on the Hirer.
Complaints
Complaints may be made in accordance with the South Cambridgeshire District Council Complaints Procedure.
Cancellation Policy
11.1: If a Hirer cancels with more than 4 weeks notice they will receive a full refund of any monies paid for the relevant booking.
11.2: If a Hirer cancels with less than 4 weeks notice any refund would be strictly at the discretion of the Board.
11.3: The Board may modify the conditions of hire for the Temporary Community Centre. In this case the Hirer will be notified immediately, with an option to cancel the booking as per 11.1.
11.4: The Board may, at any time, cancel any booking, in which case the Hirer will be reimbursed the full amount paid for the booking. The Board will not be held responsible for the loss of any consequential losses or estimated income or actual expenses arising from the cancellation.
Discrimination
12.1: The Temporary Community Centre will not be used for any activity or group which discriminates or promotes discrimination against persons with protected characteristics under the Equalities Act of 2010, which are:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage & Civil partnership
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex / Gender
- Sexual orientation
12.2: The Temporary Community Centre may not be used for the promotion of extremist ideologies, hate crimes or for any activity illegal under UK law.
Public Safety Compliance
13.1: The Hirer shall comply with all conditions and regulations made in respect of the premises by the Local Authority, the Licensing Authority, and the Community Room’s Fire Risk Assessment. A copy of the Fire Safety Management Plan is available which should be carefully read and complied with by the Hirer.
13.2: The Fire Service shall be called to any outbreak of fire, however slight, and details shall be given by the Hirer to the Board via Northstowe.Community@scambs.gov.uk at the earliest opportunity.
The Hirer acknowledges that they will pay due regard to the following matters:
13.2.1: The action to be taken in event of fire. This includes calling the Fire Brigade and evacuating all parts of the Temporary Community Centre.
13.2.2:The location and use of fire fighting equipment.
13.2.3: Escape routes (please refer to Figure 2, below, the Fire Escape Plan) and the need to keep escape routes clear.
13.2.4: Method of operation of escape door fastenings.
13.2.5: All fire doors should remain closed.
13.2.6: Location of the first aid box (in the kitchenette).
13.3: In advance of any activity whether regulated entertainment or not the Hirer shall check the following items:
13.3.1: That all escape routes are free of obstruction and can be safely used for instant free public exit.
13.3.2: That fire doors are not wedged open.
13.3.3: That exit signs are illuminated.
Figure 2: Fire escape Plan
Limitation of Liability
14.1: The Board is not liable for:
14.1.1: The death of, or injury to the Hirer, its employees, customers or invitees to the Temporary Community Centre; or
14.1.2: Damage to any property of the Hirer or that of the Hirer's employees, customers or other invitees to the Temporary Community Centre; or
14.1.3: Any losses, claims, demands, actions, proceedings, damages, costs or expenses or other liability incurred by Hirer or the Hirer's employees, customers or other invitees to the Temporary Community Centre.
14.2: Nothing in paragraph 14.1 shall limit or exclude the Board's liability for:
14.2.1: Death or personal injury or damage to property caused by negligence on the part of the Board or its employees or agents; or
14.2.2: Any matter in respect of which it would be unlawful for the Board to exclude or restrict liability.
The Hirer’s declaration
Upon signing these Terms and Conditions, the Hirer will be deemed to have understood, agree with and fully comply with these Terms and Conditions (as above).
A Contract will exist once a booking has been confirmed and accepted under these Terms and Conditions, which are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Once you have confirmed a booking with the Board, you are deemed to have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions and that you have the authority to accept and are accepting the terms of these conditions as the Hirer.
Signed by…………….
On behalf of [X] (if applicable)
Print Name…………
Date …………………