Martyn's Law for village halls.
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 village hall is in scope comes down to how many people could realistically be present, including staff.
When are village halls in scope?
A hall used quietly midweek can still reach 200+ at a Christmas fair, wedding or village show — which can bring it into scope.
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 bookings secretary or a nominated trustee.
- Capacity is often driven by occasional events (weddings, fêtes, pantomimes) rather than day-to-day use.
- Procedures need to work for volunteer committees and casual hirers, not just paid staff.
- Hirers should know what to do — your booking pack is a good place to share the basics.
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.
Get your village hall 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.
Start the free check