Thank you for that - I naively just cut the words out of my Facebook post and pasted it in here - I forget sometimes that how it reads on the page isn’t always the link thats buried underneath! It looks much better now - appreciated!
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From the news in Southport!
Which includes the statement, “ the flying of drones on Southport beach, an act which is heavily restricted and carries large financial penalties for anyone caught” 
There is obviously a SSSI, which may be specifically related to the beach, sand dunes, or birds etc. but the council have issued a drone policy.
https://www.sefton.gov.uk/media/3899/gren-sefton-drone-code.docx
Which basically states you can’t fly over SSSI areas!
I’ve seen people flying there frequently; it would be good to have some clearer understanding of the restrictions surrounding SSSI rather than the standard anti-drone mentality that appears to widely exist. Are some of these drone codes scare tactics with little legal weight?
Is it possible to find out the purpose of the SSSI and establish the protected species in order to be able to make an informed assessment of whether flying in that location would be detrimental?
It seems to me that the organisations who seek to restrict drone use are utilising SSSI and bird protection areas to suggest flying is illegal.
Anyway, I presume the Fauna that are spooked by the gentle hum of a M3P will be fine at beginning of next month when Vulcan Bombers will probably be screaming down the beach and all over the SSSI 
but I suppose that will be fine?
Well they are in that POS policy.
Talk about bastardising to suit their needs.
This is the only reasonable bit in the policy
The larger parks and open spaces away from the protected landscapes in Sefton are regarded as more suitable for recreational drone users
They can say what they like - doesn’t mean that it is any more accurate than anything else put out by someone who wants to control others.
Hi. I was hoping to do the same thing, but on the mapping app it shows virtually the whole length of the wall is within an SSSI. I was under the impression that we couldn’t fly in those areas.
Anyone know anything to the contrary?
Cheers.
@Mancunianson I’ve moved your question to an existing thread on this subject, have a read 
My rule of thumb is avoid if it is wildlife, don’t see what harm a drone will do to the remains of a Roman wall unless you recklessley crash into, then your drone will come off worse than the wall. It was the same at Bamburgh Castle, area is covered by an SSI but its for the beach dunes, flora and fauna yet people are allowed to trample through the areas 
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Thanks for that.
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We stay at the motorhome and caravning site in Southport and have regularly see motorised paragliders taking off and landing on the beech. It is beyond belief that our little drones will cause more upset to the wildlife that and internal combustion engine screaming on take off. Its just plain nonsense.
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Just crack on flying… I do at certain SSSI’s and nobody has ever said a thing to me.
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@HantsFlyer
I would tend to agree; although to be a little prepared, I check the SSSI details and if it’s not relating to birds, then have that information.
And even if it’s birds, my opinion is so long as it’s outside the breeding season, again, you have given it consideration.
Cheers, Dave.
Most of the SSSI’s I fly over are marshes and I’m not going to get anywhere near and it’s mainly whats growing on it.
I see lots of people paraparascending locally over and on SSSI land filming with GoPro etc. Surely they will have a bigger impact than my mini 3 pro!
Just to throw in another thought.
I would love to fly over Northam Burrows near Westward Ho! but I know this is an SSI from my many walks there.
I have been on the natural England site and their citation for this site can be found HERE
In the text it describes many different types of grassland plant.
However it does state “The extensive areas of grassland provide autumn, spring and winter roosting and
feeding grounds for many birds, particularly those using the adjacent estuary.
Golden plover Pluvialis apricaria, curlew Numenius arquata, wigeon Anas penelope
and Brent goose Branta bernicla occur in overwintering flocks. The range of
habitats present also supports a diverse breeding bird community which includes
shelduck Tadorna tadorna, wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe , stonechat Saxicola
torquata, whitethroat Sylvia communis, grasshopper warbler Locustella naevia and
sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus.”
I haven’t got a clue what those birds are, I could google it but CBA. What I am picking up is that it wants to highlight autumn, spring and winter which in my book means flying a drone over grass in summer should be OK… I guess…
In the nicest of possible ways, if you CBA what makes you think others will,
My advice is, would be to try & research what you CBA first, you never know you may find what your looking for ( happy days ) then be able to post it here to help others, or if you have no joy, then say you’ve looked with no joy & maybe someone could help,
Just my honest opinion 
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You are quite right really. I’m no ornithologist but a bit of further education is never a bad thing.
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Flown here a few times.
You can take off from the beach, but not from the burrows themselves.
My company is building dwellings here.
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@Kirky Was trying to think what this acronym was for Rich… Ohhh I get it! No pictures though please!!! 
Continuing the discussion from Is flying over SSSIs illegal?:
Interesting to read the threads about SSSi sites, so thought I would add some information for anyone interested, not least because I’ve just spent considerable time having an education session with a local water company who think that their SSSi status and bylaws associated with it give them the right to grant or deny permissions for RPAS operations above their sites. For the record they don’t. Nore do any of the bylaws in place by DEFRA or natural England. And Nore does the feeble argument “ we are critical national infrastructure “ have any bearing on flying over their sites. And here is why.
Firstly you need to understand the definition of SSSI as set out by DEFRA in the bylaws.
“ “The Site” shall mean the pieces or parcels of land containing hectares or thereabouts and notified to the Secretary of State as being of special scientific interest pursuant to section 28 (1) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981”
You’ll note it applies to Land only not airspace.
Secondly in the bylaws it has exemptions in place under section 2:
“ a written permission to carry out the operations specified in these Bye-laws as given by either Natural England or another section 28G authority in accordance with section 28I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended
The CAA are one such 28g authority that can give that written permission to operate in such areas. Moreover having asked them about the specific bylaw as follows I was told the following:
3.30 Launching or landing (except in case of emergency) any hang glider, micro-light aircraft, hot-air balloon, paraglider, model aircraft, sky lantern, unmanned aerial vehicle (‘drone’) or similar airborne contrivance and/or operating them at a height or location that may disturb the features of special scientific interest [specify features]
The CAA say that it is “the pilot in charge whom is responsible for determining the safe height and also the research into the location as part of the procedures set out in their flight operations manual.”
So if you have a written permission(OA) to fly and you do the correct and proper research and planning prior to your mission there is no reason at all why you cannot fly over a SSSI site. You would require permission to take off and land on their ground but frankly that’s all.
So far as critical national infrastructure goes which can be the argument used for lakes and reservoirs that provide water services - well sadly for them the same applies unless the site is controlled airspace such as a prison or nuclear power site etc… because if you have a CAA written permission for operating, then that’s your permit to fly in the biggest and most complex critical national infrastructure in the uk - UK airspace, in conjunction with your FOM - only the CAA or Military can grant or deny you being there.
Of course not the same for recreational flying but again with a sub 250g drone generating 58db of noise they’d be hard pushed to prove you’re disturbing habitats.
Of course areas in the Lake District or North Wales will have different airspace classification due to the military flight zones so you of course check that out - but that has nothing to do with SSSI or critical national infrastructure.
Anyway hope that’s of use to some of you. Have a good read of SSSi bylaws.
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Reading @Crackerjack’s link of the Broads Authority document ('cos we are going there later this year) that covers drone use it says, " * If you are concerned that someone is using a drone illegally, please contact the police on 999"!
Really, 999 Wow! Hopefully the emergency services would drop everything to hurry to the location to catch the perp at it.
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