The proposed PSPO would make it a criminal offence to TOAL across the parks and open spaces in Brighton & Hove. I am not standing by and letting this happen.
I’ve made this website with all the facts and to raise awareness of the council’s overreach.
It’s not a done deal. Public consultation is open NOW, and the council is consulting “other stakeholders as appropriate".
Home Office guidance says users of a public space should have their say. If you come here to photograph, film or fly the seafront, parks and Downs, you use these spaces too. Say so in your response.
If any of the above describe you, please help me stop this proposal from passing.
You might want to bang a couple of foi in to the council and local police asking for drone related incidents for the past 5 years , broken down by month
Have a word with MPB who are in Brighton, I am sure they could help, otherwise it could go against them selling drones etc
MPB Europe Ltd
64 Ship Street
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 1AE
Filled in the survey.
Just for the record the opening question does include a section to explain your choice, you have to scroll down to see it though.
I applaud your fight with this, but surely it’s better people voicing their concerns on an official council public consultation website (if there is one) than a 3rd party one. Or am I missing something here?
Is it as bad as it sounds? The councils page says a ban for drones not flown according to CAA guidance. It’s not an outright ban and I read it as giving their own staff powers in their parks to deal with drone idiots.
It has been for the past 12 years, this is not something new. As I mentioned yesterday, a vast number of councils around the country have TOAL in their parks and open spaces covered under a PSPO, and many others don’t.
I personally choose to keep away from flying within a council park, there’s far better wide open spaces out there.
This should be the start and end of the entire thing - why does Brighton & Hove need to waste time and money on a PSPO to prohibit already prohibited activities? I’ve completed their stupid survey to tell them exactly that.
Good luck. Having had some experience of when a council wants to do something then they will do it anyway either by fudging the feedback or being selective. Also the questions are all negative. No do you agree people should be able to enjoy their drone hobby in council parks etc.
I would call into question how well the council understand the current CAA guidelines for flying drones and model aircraft in public spaces. The police are tasked with investigating and prosecuting pilots who don’t comply - as they are most fit to do so.
Who would adjudicate that a drone was/not flown in accordance with current CAA guidelines? What would their qualification be? Would signs make it clear that compliance was the key, and not fall deeper into an outright ban on the practice of flying drones? Again, the council are not the police.
So it’s about the money then? You want to send frivolous fines to “innocent” members of the public.
Thanks to @Yezzer for bringing this to everyone’s attention and to @uav_hampshire for posting the consultation link.
I’ve now completed the survey. Whatever your view on the proposal, I would encourage anyone who flies legally to take 10 minutes to respond.
My own response was based on a few key principles:
o Flying outside the CAA regulations is already unlawful and should be enforced by the appropriate authorities, including the police where necessary.
o Responsible drone pilots support safe, legal flying and enforcement against those who break the rules.
o The CAA already provides a comprehensive national legal framework for drone operations.
o I’m not convinced a local PSPO is necessary, as it risks duplicating existing legislation and creating different rules from one council to another.
o I also pointed out that the consultation repeatedly refers to CAA “guidelines”. In reality, the relevant CAA requirements are legally enforceable regulations, which is an important distinction.
Whether you support or oppose the PSPO, I’d encourage you to complete the consultation in your own words. Individual, well-reasoned responses are likely to carry more weight than copying someone else’s comments.
The more informed responses the Council receives from responsible drone operators, the better. They have only had 74 responses to date!
the problem is thst how many council workers and police for that matter know how a drone should be flown according to the regulations. the regulations state close to people with a sub 250g but I bet Karen thinks 50m away is too close. therefore mr (or Mrs) drone flyer will end up getting badgered out of the park for doing what the are allowed to do because people think they know the rules when they don’t.
Also a PSPOcan only be implemented when no other legislation covers the action to which it relates. Therefore as the the CAA has published the relevant CAPs, including 2320 ( the drone code). any futher restrictions implemented by a PSPO could be illegal as they could fall outside the scope of the implementation regulations.
I have responded to the survey as a visitor (which I have been a few times). I have expressed a solidly sceptical view, pointing out duplication of CAA role and existing legislation and evidence restricted to some express concerns.
Luckily the personal questions appear to be all optional especially as some are very specific such as growing up in care or being a member of the armed forces.
