Playing Out

Return to our main Playing Out project page

Our community is decorating the windows on our streets

Festive Streets 2020 was a St Albans District community project encouraging neighbours in St Albans, Harpenden and the villages to decorate the windows on their street during the 2020-21 Winter Festive Season, enabling them to celebrate as a community in a contact-free way and bring cheer to their neighbourhood. See the Main Festive Streets page for more information.

At least 60 streets took part in 2020.

Below is a just a selection of the dozens of photos we were sent for Festive Streets from every corner of St Albans District by residents who took part (and also by a few keen photographers).

Thanks for reading about our Festive Streets project. Why not click here and visit our Playing Out page to find out all about how to close your road so children can play and adults can mingle (once we’re allowed to again!)

Festive Streets is one of the Meet Your Neighbours projects from Sustainable St Albans. Visit the Meet Your Neighbours page for more street activities and ideas.

Decorate the windows on your street

Sign up for your free Festive Streets information pack each November and December. (The linked form will be live at those times.)

Get together with your neighbours in St Albans, Harpenden and villages and decorate your street’s windows during the winter months. Bring cheer to the neighbourhood and pull local residents together for an easy, fun-filled activity to do as a community. If you’d like to create a similar activity in your community, simply follow our steps below….

Events and dates from Playing Out St Albans District

To see an overview of the Playing Out St Albans District project visit our main Playing Out St Albans District page. For our how-to guide to starting your own Playing Out scheme in St Albans District, please visit our How to apply page.

Sign up to our mailing list for updates.

Upcoming Events from Playing Out St Albans District

Don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list to be alerted to future events.

Application Deadlines

The District Council has four application rounds per year for residents to apply for short road closures using the “Playing Out” scheme. Each round has an application deadline. [Street party applications are a separate scheme run by the County Council. Visit Our Street Party to find out more.]

Playing Out Deadlines for 2026

Round 1: 

Application deadline for Playing Out to receive applications: Friday 30th January 2026

Street Notices to be received and sent to appropriate streets: Friday 13th March 2026

Streets able to close roads on dates from: Saturday 28th March 2026 onwards

Round 2:

Application deadline for Playing Out to receive applications: Friday 6th March 2026

Street Notices to be received and sent to appropriate streets: Friday 17th April 2026

Streets able to close roads on dates from: Saturday 2nd May onwards

Round 3:

Application deadline for Playing Out to receive applications: Friday 8th May 2026

Street Notices to be received and sent to appropriate streets: 19th June 2026

Streets able to close roads on dates from: Saturday 4th July 2026 onwards

Round 4: 

Application deadline for Playing Out to receive applications: Friday 10th July 2026

Street Notices to be received and sent to appropriate streets: 21st August 2026

Streets able to close roads on dates from: Saturday 5th September 2026 onwards

All the information you need to apply, including the link to the form, is on our How to Apply page. We recommend you contact us for a bit of guidance if you plan to “self-serve” of this information before applying if you cannot attend an information session.

Remember you must consult the other residents (and businesses) on your street – before you can apply so please give yourself plenty of time to do that before an application deadline.  

Click here for the full rules on how often and when you may hold Playing Out sessions in St Albans District . 

Latest News and Playing Out St Albans District in the Media

2026 application dates announced – contact us to make 2026 the year you start Playing Out on your street!

Read the latest Meet Your Neighbours Blog Posts here

2025 was another great year, more than 40 streets in the district that we have now supported to run Playing Out streets gathering across the district. Dozens more have been loaned road signs or supported to apply for Street Parties and the take part in Festive Streets.

• Keep up-to–date with us on social media. Find us on our own Playing Out St Albans Facebook page and Playing Out St Albans Twitter page. Find us on the Sustainable St Albans Instagram page. Join our Playing Out St Albans Facebook Group.

• Interview with Environment Matters on Mix92.6 (Podcast) June 2023
• St Albans News June 2023
• The Parents’ Show on Mix92.6 (formerly Radio Verulam) April 2023
• Herts Ad Article about World Car Free Day, September 2021
• Herts Ad Article about Festive Streets, December 2020
• Sustainability News from St Albans District Council March 2020
• Herts Ad Article about Playing Out, February 2020
• Radio Verulam November 2019 (also available as a podcast)
• St Albans & Harpenden Review, November 2019
• Herts Ad Article, November 2019
• BBC Three Counties Radio, Nick Coffer Show September 2019 (You Tube Audio)
• BBC Three Counties Radio, Justin Dealey Show September 2019 (You Tube Audio)
• BBC Three Counties Radio, Andy Collins Show September 2019 (You Tube Audio)
• Radio Verulam February 2019 (also available as a podcast)
• Herts Ad Article, September 2019

Next

Return to the main Playing Out page
or
Click here for the How to Apply to Playing Out page – everything you need to know to start your St Albans District street Playing Out.
or
Find out about Festive Streets.

Your how-to guide for starting a Playing Out scheme

On this page you will find all the steps you need to take so you know how to apply for short road closures using the Playing Out scheme in St Albans District.

To see an overview of the Playing Out St Albans District project visit our main Playing Out page.

For our events, including free information sessions, and application deadlines, please visit our Playing Out Latest News page.

You can contact us for support at any stage.

Please note, unfortunately Playing Out schemes are not possible on daily bus routes. The council has the final say on whether a road is suitable for playing out or not.

---

Steps to Playing Out Applications
Getting your street ready for Playing Out 

adapted from www.playingout.net

Overview

There is a lot of detail in Steps A-H below but the basic information about how to apply is:

• Understand how Playing Out works, including stewarding.
• Informally chat to neighbours.
• Consult everyone on your street via letter drop.
• Address concerns or objections.
• Apply.

A. Understand how Playing Out works

• Watch our video below.
• Read the St Albans District Council Guidance for Playing Out.
• Understand how stewarding works and how car access is managed, along with everything else there is to know, by reading the Playing Out Manual. This is the national Playing Out organisers’ definitive guide, produced by www.playingout.net
• Visit www.playingout.net for more information and videos
• Please note: Your street cannot be a 7 day bus route. You can apply for up to 8 closures per year from the date of your first session, maximum 1 per month. Sessions can be between 1 and 3 hours long. Sessions must be in daylight hours – no later than 4pm after the clocks go back in October, November and February and 3.30pm in December and January.

B. Informally chat to neighbours. 

• Get the idea out there, explain to people how it works. 
• Try to get a small project team of neighbours working together,
• Gather opinions about the stretch to be closed and when to do it (e.g. 2 hours one Sunday afternoon a month).

C. Consult everyone on your street via letter drop. 

• Write to everyone in the street plus any other parties affected (eg businesses and garage owners). This must be on paper not on WhatsApp or Facebook groups.
• You can download a sample letter from our Useful Docs section below and adapt it.
• Make sure everyone feels able to feed back their thoughts; perhaps set up a street meeting in person or on zoom.
• Give them ways to contact you (email/phone) so there is plenty of opportunity for them to reach you to discuss how it works. 
• You might want to attach a map or description of which stretch of road you would close or present date options for comment. 
• Work with your neighbours – listen to thoughts, make decisions about dates and road closure stretches, collect contact details, share out roles.
• You can then choose the dates and times you are applying for – see Choosing Your Dates section on our Playing Out News page for some advice. Remember max 8 times a year, 3 hours max, daylight hours.

D. Address concerns or objections

• Some standard answers are included in our FAQ – see our Useful Docs section below. 
• See also the Playing Out website page: http://playingout.net/why/possible-concerns/
• If you do continue to have one or two objections from neighbours,  contact us for support.

E. Communicate back to the street

• Don’t be put off if you have only a few people responding to your letter. As long as everyone is informed and no-one has any objections, you can count that as a big win!
• If you have had no objections, communicate back to the street what was decided and that you will be applying or have applied.  

F. Apply! 

• The link to submit your Playing Out St Albans District application is here.  (Click here for next application deadlines.)
• See Useful Docs section below for sample completed application form.
• You need 1-3 residents to be deputy organisers on the form.
• You need to know the section of road you will close and the diversion needed.
• You need to produce a map to show your closure and diversion. Council map requirements are as follows: “You need to provide (a) map(s) of where you wish to close the road. Where multiple stretches of road are to be closed on different dates you must label them with Section A/B etc either on one map or with one map for each section. Hand-drawn maps are not accepted. You can use an online map system such as Google Maps as a background, clearly marking the closure and diversion. Please check that your map shows street names, has a linking diversion route (unless cul-de-sac closure) and shows the road closure in a different colour from the diversion route. Please use a key to explain any annotations. Please save the file as a PDF.”
• See Useful Docs section below for an example map – it’s not as bad as it sounds!
• You need to know the dates and times you are applying for – see Choosing Your Dates on our Latest News page for some advice.

G. Get ready

• Read the official Playing Out manual
• Carry out a risk assessment – this is not daunting and we have a sample to give you ideas to get you started – (see Useful Docs below).  Consider the Covid-safety recommendations of the time.
• Sort out your kit (see Kit below).
• Put up your formal closure notice (TPSO) two weeks before you play out.
• Plan the location of your Road Ahead Closed signs (if using them); ask to borrow wheelie bins if needed for hanging signs on.
• Let your street know the dates and times of the sessions (but do not publicise more widely than on your street). We have a sample letter in Useful Docs below. Adapt your communication according to the outcomes of your risk assessment.
• Make sure you communicate clearly that parents are responsible for their own children.
• Recruit your neighbours to be stewards (2 per closure point).
• A few days before, windscreen flyers can be good for cars in the closed area. See Useful Docs below.
• You can also put up posters in your street only. This www.playingout.net page has a very useful editable poster for windows and lamp posts.
• Print a photo permission form (see Useful Docs below) if you want to take photos of local kids. We love to receive them so please make sure you have consent.
• Print some Steward Briefing Documents (see Useful Docs below).
• Print a first session evaluation form (see  Useful Docs below).
• Charge your mobile phone.
• Watch this great video from Playing Out’s national website about how to open and close your street.

H. Play Out!

• Brief your stewards – this is a really important bit so, even if they are your friends and you feel a bit silly, do make it as formal as you can to get the message across. There are also sections on dealing with cars, etc in the Playing Out manual.
• Ready your road closed signs and ensure stewards have their high viz jackets.
• Make sure stewards have your phone number.
• Close the road safely with the stewards (see the Playing Out manual and the video mentioned above).
• There is lots of advice in the Playing Out manual about how to manage the session so have a good read!
• Have fun, smile lots, be welcoming and be proud of yourself for what you have achieved for your community!
• If you can, gather contact details for your neighbours, ask for some comments on the evaluation form and take photos and get permissions for them.
• Re-open the road safely with the stewards (see the Playing Out manual and the video mentioned above). Make sure everyone, especially children, are clear that all is going back to ‘normal’.
• Let us know how you got on – we’d love to hear from you!

If you need any help with any of the steps to Playing Out, please do not hesitate to contact the Playing Out St Albans District team.

---

Kit for Playing Out

Playing Out St Albans District aims to be able to lend (without charge) all streets the essential kit to enable them to play out.

Essential kit we aim to provide

• Road Closed sign – 1 per closure point (don’t forget any side streets or lanes)
• Road Ahead Closed signs – if deemed necessary, particularly if your street is off a main road or drivers will be required to turn around at the closure point
• High Viz jackets – 1 per steward, 2 stewards per closure point
• A few Playing Out leaflets for curious passers-by
• Whistles
• Pavement chalk
• Long skipping rope
• French skipping elastic

Nice-to-have kit – for you to have if possible

• Tea & biscuits for neighbours
• Soft/sponge ball
• Umbrellas
• Walkie Talkies (for stewards, if your closed space is particularly long)

---

Useful Documents for Playing Out St Albans District Applications

(All Word docs are also available in Pages for Mac – please email us if needed)

Below are sample documents to help you with the steps to Playing Out. Please note some of these documents will “download” to your computer when clicked rather than opening in your browser window.

How-to guides

St Albans District Council Guidance for Playing Out

Full Playing Out manual (from the national body at www.playingout.net)

Playing Out St Albans District FAQ for the public

Sample letters for consultation

Playing Out St Albans District Sample Street Consultation Letter

Playing Out St Albans District Sample RENEWAL Street Consultation Letter (must be done at least once per calendar year for renewals)

Application form and map

Playing Out St Albans Sample Completed Application Form

Playing Out St Albans Sample Closure Map

The link to the Playing Out St Albans District online application form is here.

Get ready to play out

Sample risk assessment
Please do a risk assessment of your own for your own street and closures. This is an example only.

Sample letter inviting neighbours to join in Playing Out sessions
Download and adapt our template for your street. This will need to reflect much of what has been decided from your risk assessment – it is a key communication to your neighbours as it both informs them but also must make them feel welcome at the sessions.

Sample Stewards Briefing
Don’t forget to include anything identified in your risk assessment

Sample Windscreen Flyer

Editable poster to advertise your session to neighbours
Opens the playingout.net useful stuff page. Please note you are not allowed to advertise your session any further than on your own street.

Tell us how it went

First Session Evaluation form

Photo Permission form
If you wish to take photos of your session and send them to us we would love that! Please make sure you have consent for everyone before you do, including written consent for children.

---

Next

Return to the main Playing Out page
or
Click here for Playing Out Latest News – includes events and deadline dates
or
Find out about Festive Streets.