Martyn's Law for community centres.
Martyn's Law applies to publicly accessible premises used for a qualifying activity where 200+ people may be present at the same time. Hall (village, community, conference or exhibition) counts as a qualifying use — so whether your centre is in scope comes down to how many people could realistically be present, including staff.
When are community centres in scope?
A centre running several activities at once, or hosting an election count, blood-donor session or community event, can pass 200 people even if each individual booking is small.
The threshold counts the most people reasonably expected at once — including staff — even if that only happens occasionally. Check it against fire occupancy, ticketing or past event records, and record your decision either way. Typically the responsible person is the centre manager or a nominated trustee.
- Multiple rooms in simultaneous use (classes, clubs, hires) add up to a bigger headcount than any single booking suggests.
- Procedures need to work for part-time staff, volunteers and independent hirers who run their own sessions.
- Your hire agreement is a good place to tell regular hirers what to do — several umbrella bodies now suggest exactly that.
Evacuation
Getting people safely away from the premises.
Invacuation
Moving people into, or to a safer part of, the premises when leaving is not safer.
Lockdown
Restricting access to, or movement within, the premises.
Communication
Alerting people on the premises and sharing clear information quickly.
Does Martyn's Law apply to community centres?
It can. "Hall (village, community, conference or exhibition)" is a qualifying use under Schedule 1 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, so your centre is in scope if it is reasonable to expect 200 or more people — including staff — to be present at the same time, even if that only happens from time to time. A centre running several activities at once, or hosting an election count, blood-donor session or community event, can pass 200 people even if each individual booking is small.
What does the standard tier actually require for your centre?
Standard tier (200–799 people) asks for public protection procedures covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication — so far as reasonably practicable — plus notifying the SIA that you are responsible for the premises. There is no requirement to buy equipment, hire security or pay consultants; the Home Office estimates compliance at roughly £330 a year of staff and management time.
Who is the responsible person for community centres?
The responsible person is whoever has control of the premises in connection with its qualifying use — for community centres that is typically the centre manager or a nominated trustee. They own the scope decision, the procedures and the SIA notification, though the practical work can be shared.
When does your centre need to comply?
The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025 and statutory guidance was published in April 2026. Enforcement is expected from Spring 2027, with the SIA's notification portal opening in early 2027. Nothing is legally required yet — but the venues that record their scope decision and procedures now will find notification trivial when it opens.
Get your centre sorted in about an hour
PremiseReady walks you through the scope decision, the four procedures and a staff sign-off log — then exports a tidy evidence pack. Enforcement expected Spring 2027.
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