CASTLE PARK ARTS CENTRE

POLICY TITLE: ROOM HIRE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DOCUMENT/VERSION NUMBER: P005 v3.0 EFFECTIVE FROM: 01/09/2025

INTRODUCTION

Castle Park Arts Centre (CPAC) provides space for hire; for activities ranging from private meetings to artworkshops to music performances. This document details the terms and conditions that the centre and hirermust adhere to during the hire period.

CENTRE LAYOUT, FACILITIES & ACCESS

There are 2 galleries located on the ground floor – Gallery 1 which is adjacent to the cafe and Gallery 2 which isat the back of the building at the end of The Link.

There are 2 public access spaces on the first floor – Gallery 3 which is adjacent to the main staircase andCraft Room 2 which is at the end of the corridor. There are also 2 courtyard spaces – the main courtyard and the back courtyard which is accessed via Gallery 2.

There is a café open from 10am until 3:30pm Tuesday to Saturday every week with ladies’ and gentlemen’s toiletsand a single disabled access toilet with baby changing facilities.

There is a car park available included disabled access parking that is outside the courtyard gates. There is alift that can be utilised to gain access to the upper floor.

 

BOOKING

Initial booking

The Organisation and/or individual in whose name the booking is made, unless otherwise stated, will beconsidered the Hirer, and shall be jointly and severally liable in respect of the booking.

Bookings can be made for morning, afternoon or evening sessions Tuesday to Saturday:

2025

AM

(10am to 1pm)

PM

(1pm to 4pm)

EVE

(6pm to 9pm)

SUNDAY/MONDAY

(AM, PM or EVE)

Gallery

1, 2 or 3

£35

£35

£40

£40*

Craft Room

2

£25

£25

£30

£30

 

*Private hire for events e.g. performances are priced on an individual basis to be arranged with the centre. Hire ofthe courtyards can also be made at the centre discretion – hirer must contact the centre to discuss.

When making a booking, the hirer must complete the room booking form including the approximate orintended maximum headcount for the booking and the desired layout of the room – see Appendix 1 for layoutoptions.

Commercial hirers must provide evidence of their own £5 million Public Liability Insurance Cover at the timeof booking.

Optional extras

There are a range of extras that can be utilised as part of room booking for an additional cost, includingprojectors, speakers and also refreshments (tea/coffee and hot water urn) and catering options. The hirer mustcontact the centre to discuss if they would like to include extra items as part of their booking.

Payment and Cancellations

Once an invoice has been issued, payment must be made no later than the first day of the booking. Paymentscan be made as per the following:

  • Cash
  • Cheque
  • BACS (Bank transfer)
  • Card

Please notify the centre by which method you would prefer to make payment – invoice numbers must be usedas a reference when making payments.

In the unfortunate circumstances that the hirer no longer requires the space, they must notify the centre at their earliest opportunity. Refunds may be available however full payment is required for cancellations madeless than 2 weeks in advance of the booking

  • this may also include any food/drink

CPAC may cancel the booking:

  1. If the hirer is in arrears of previous
  2. If the hirer has failed to adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in this

In this case, the hirer will be notified if their booking is cancelled, and an explanation provided.

If you are organising an event for children, we will require additional information so that we can make thenecessary checks required by our safeguarding policy.

USE OF HIRED SPACE

As part of room hire, the hirer must:

  • comply with all relevant laws and regulations in the use of the services at CPAC
  • Provide CPAC with a risk assessment for activities if required
  • only use space for your declared and accepted business activities
  • not use space for political, illegal, obscene, immoral or defamatory purposes
  • not do anything that may interfere with the use of the facilities by other centre users
  • not cause loss or damage to CPAC
  • not bring the name of CAPC into disrepute
  • ensure their service users are aware of fire exits and assembly
  • ensure that their service users also adhere to this

Set Up/Tidy Up

The meeting room hire period includes all setup and clearing of the room back into the state in which it wasfound. In cases where it may take a longer time to clear or clean the room, the hirer is required to take this intoconsideration and make suitable preparations to avoid inconveniencing the next user. CPAC reserve the right tocharge for any delays and should the room incur heavy cleaning requirements after your meeting, reserve the right to charge for such work.

Room Doors

As CPAC is a multi-use space, galleries are hired out to exhibitors and room hirers on the understanding thatboth aspects must be accessible to the service users. Therefore, room DOORS MUST BE KEPT OPEN toallow the general public to access the exhibitions.

If there are activities taking place where a closed space is imperative e.g. life drawing, this must be discussedand agreed with CPAC prior to the room booking. On occasion, if there is music taking place in an adjacentroom causing a disturbance to another room booking, doors may only be closed with agreement from CPAC andmust be reopened as soon as possible.

Furniture

The hirer must complete the room booking form to notify the centre of how the room should be laid out andwe will endeavour to meet the hirer’s preferences.

Once the furniture has been laid out, it must not be moved without approval of centre staff. This is to ensure that the general public has access to the room and artwork displayed in the exhibition during centre openingtimes, prevent damage to any artwork displayed and prevent blockages of fire escape routes.

Use of Art Supplies

Where art supplies are being used within the hired space, care must be taken by the hirer to ensure that risk ofspills is reduced and in the event of a spillage, that it is cleaned up as soon as practically possible. Where exhibited work is affected, the centre must be notified immediately.

Some art supplies may interfere with the fire/smoke alarm system e.g. aerosol fixative. CPAC requests thatthese are not used without adequate ventilation of the room and if this is not possible, that they are not utilised.

 

LIABILITY

CPAC will not be liable for any loss which arises as a result of events beyond its reasonable control, including (without limitation):

  • strikes, lockouts or other industrial disputes,
  • act of God,
  • war,
  • riot,
  • civil commotion,
  • malicious damage,
  • compliance with any law or governmental order,
  • rule regulation or direction,
  • accident,
  • breakdown of machinery,
  • failure of supply of electricity or gas heating,
  • leakage of water,
  • flood,
  • fire,
  • storm,

which may cause the room(s) to be temporarily closed or the period of hire to be interrupted or cancelled. The hirer will be reimbursed for the full amount in these circumstances.

CPAC will not in any circumstances have any liability for loss of business, loss of profits, loss of anticipatedsavings, loss of or damage to date, third party claims or consequential loss whatsoever. CPAC will not be liable for any damage, theft or loss of any of property/articles. This also includes loss or theft of personal data arisingfrom the use of computer equipment.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

CPAC requests that hirers and their service users endeavour to use the centre in a manner in which reducesthe risk of any health and safety issues.

First Aid

First aid is available on site when the centre is open; staff must be notified of any issue requiring first aid to be administered. When space is hired outside of centre opening hours, it is the hirer’s responsibility to ensure that first aid materials are available if required.

Fire

There are 3 fire escape exits in the centre – the main front entrance, the door in the link out onto the car park and the door in gallery 2 leading to the back courtyard. From upstairs, there are 2 staircases that may beused – the main staircase and the second staircase leading down directly into Gallery 2. Fire escape routes are sign posted throughout the building. CPAC will notify the room hirer if a fire drill is expected to take placeduring their booking and in this case will explain what will occur during the drill.

In the event of a fire or unexplained fire alarm sounding, service users must make their way quickly and calmlyto the nearest exit and assemble at the fire assembly point in the top car park near the steps through to theformal gardens. The lift MUST NOT be used in the event of a fire. If a service user is on the first floor and not ableto remove themselves from the building, notify a member of staff immediately and the fire service on their arrival.

If a fire or other emergency occurs outside of centre opening hours and staff are not present, 999 must becalled immediately and the caretakers contacted.

Fire extinguishers are available throughout the centre but must only be utilised if the user is comfortable doing soand is able to do so safely – CPAC encourages all service users to regard their own safety and escape from thebuilding as quickly as possible.

Hirer’s will be expected to take roll call of their service users if they are able to; it is recommended thathirer’s have an up-to-date list of their attendees to facilitate this.

 

OUT OF HOURS HIRE – ENTRY/EXIT

In the instances where the centre is hired for use outside of the typical centre opening hours i.e. evenings andSunday/Monday, the hirer has some additional responsibilities:

  • ENTRY: The caretaker will meet the hirer in the centre prior to the start of the The hirer mustsign the out of hours register in order to take responsibility for the building in the absence ofstaff/caretakers. The hirer must take particular note of the Health and Safety section of this policy. The caretaker will demonstrate the operation of the sliding entrance doors and ensure the hirer has accessto the key to the front entrance door to be used upon exit. The caretaker will provide a contact numberto be used when leaving the centre.
  • DURING ROOM HIRE: It is the responsibility of the hirer to ensure that the middle entrance doors are lefton “NO ENTRY” and that there is no ingress into the centre of personnel not associated with their groupbooking, the courtyard units or other group booking occurring at the same It is the hirer’sresponsibility to monitor entrance and exit of their service users.
  • EXIT: Upon completion of the room hire period, the hirer must notify the caretaker that they are Ifthe hirer is the last to leave the building, the hirer must ensure that
    • there are no people left inside the building
    • that all internal and external doors are closed
    • that all windows are closed in accessible rooms
    • that the middle entrance doors are set to “NO ENTRY”
    • lock the front door using the key The key MUST then be posted back through the letter box.If the key is not returned, this will incur a penalty.

FEEDBACK

Here at CPAC we are always looking for opportunities to improve. If you have any feedback about your useof the centre, please discuss with a member of staff or contact the office on arts@castleparkarts.co.uk.

APPENDIX 1

ROOM HIRE – Room Layouts