National Trust Policy Correspondence

With my association with various on-line drone pages, groups and pilots I know of three other people as well as myself who have had correspondence with the NT over this and all have had the same reply, albeit with different wording. Suffice to say they are aware of the change in regulations and that they are in the process of reviewing their policy regarding the flying of drones on and over their properties.

I think there’s very little we can do right now but just wait and see what happens. Until then just abide by their rules on their sites and do as you’ve always done off them.

If approached by an NT staff member the choice is really yours. Calmly nod, land, pack away and leave or stand your ground knowing that if your on byelaw free public land and have abided to CAA/Drone Code regulations then you have broken no laws.

depends, half of them don’t bother.

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This :point_up_2::point_up_2::point_up_2:

This is tremendously useful. Thank you.

I wonder if this comment about conveyance is meant to deal with hot air balloons landings and taking off from their property, especially considering that drones havn’t been around for very long and clearly cannot convey a person. :thinking:

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Hi All
I’ve not seen this posted before, but appolgies if it has been, I’ve just come across a map on the NT website that show’s all their land, so you can see what they own if you need to.
Here’s the link

Just select all map layers and hopefully that will show everything.
Enjoy

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Their Land Map also shows NT farmland which I don’t believe is shown in the Dronescene map. Unfortunately that effectively doubles the already extensive NT areas I knew about on my doorstep. Looking at their datasets it doesn’t seem that they’ve made farmland data available to third party apps.

Has anyone been asked to leave footpaths through NT farmland?

Public footpaths?

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Some (not all) footpaths through NT farmland are rights of way. The name is self-descriptive: you have a right of way, which can include stopping to take photographs. But if the path is on NT land, their bye-laws still apply.

I’ve taken off from NT property before, it’s not a big deal, just be discreet and don’t cause a nuisance.

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So I was out with my day job yesterday testing a system we have built and to do it we needed to have a large vista to view, so we took it to Devils dyke, which is a NT area.

While there the NT staff approached us and asked if we had a ‘filming license’ when I explained that although the system has a camera that we weren’t filming they were ok and left us to it.
That got me thinking more about these restrictions.

#1. (just being pedantic) I looked up the ‘land map’ and they own the road into the carpark, so I broke there byelaw like everyone else that drove there as I operated a motor vechile on their land!

#2. I have looked more into the ‘filming license’ and they’re trying to claim that if you take pictures on their land that they can’t be used or uploaded anywhere without a license from them. Surely this can’t be legal as it’s open land? I’m not talking about prodcast quality production, but any commercial work (outdoors!).

http://www.nationaltrustimages.org.uk/photographic-access

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I’ve shot loads of video and taken loads of stills when I’ve visited their sites before with no issues at all. Its absolutely impossible to police and maintain. Just look on FB and other social media. millions of images taken on their property.

What they’re trying to do is protect their brand and image rights all the while knowing that in reality there is very little to nothing they can do. They can police it at certain locations such as historic building etc where they try to protect priceless pieces of art from the effects of flash photography (I think that’s bullcrap too but its what they say)

They really don’t do themselves any favours. They are still stuck in the 60’s and 70’s years before the advent of social media and the Internet. I’ve had no reply to numerous pieces of correspondence I’ve sent them these past few weeks (like a dog with a bone me :smiley: )

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Yeah, I’m starting to get like that, I’ve been looking at ‘holes’ in their maps working out if it’s worth going and standing in that space that they don’t own that runs through the center of their land and fly from there!!
lol
I understand they can police the use of photography etc inside their properties, just I don’t think they have any right to stop people outside taking any images they want for any purpose they wish to use it for.

If I ever do fly from a carpark and get told I can’t i’m going to ask for help to push my vechile off their land as I can’t drive it off!! lmao :rofl:

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Just tagged NT in this photo, TOAL from public highway in Sandbanks and flight not over then, see what they say :grin:

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Lol the dog definitely had the bone!!

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I wonder if Google Earth has an NT license :thinking: :man_shrugging:

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This is how I envisage their next board meeting going.

‘Look, we can try and dictate our policy and outdated bylaw to the ordinary man in the street but lets face it we haven’t got a hope in hell with the likes of Google etc. I realise that all of us here are the wrong side of 75 years of age now but we really must try and bring the NT into the 21st Century’ and accept things have changed … ‘Benedict, wake up man, you were snoring, and Dominic, that’s a Smartphone, there’s no dial’. :smiley:

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AT LAST!

Update to my FOI request to Southend Borough Council. Another council that has no legitimate authority to stop any drone pilot from taking off or landing on public land, despite what some signs say in some areas.

Re: Freedom of Information Request

I am writing regarding your request for information, which was received on
23.04.2021.

In that request you asked us for information below:

Q. Can you please advise if you have any byelaws relating to the use off
UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) from your land, and if so can you
please either provide a copy or the link to their location on a
website.
Q. If you do not have any byelaws, do you have any other policies
relating to the use of UAVs on your land?
Q. Can you finally advise if these have been reviewed in relation to
CAP722C published by the Civil Aviation Authority in December 2020.

I can confirm that the search for the information you requested has been
completed and I can advise you of the following:

I can confirm that there are no byelaws in place for the use of
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and there are no other policies for their
use.

It is however worth noting that London Southend Airport have their own
statement regarding the Air Navigation Order below:

“If you would like to operate a drone in either the Flight Restricted
Zone (FRZ), the Runway Protected Zone (RPZ) or in controlled airspace
surrounding Southend Airport, then please contact Southend ATC through
the enquiries e-mail.”

A pound to a pinch of sh*t it’s the same for the vast majority of County and Borough Councils up and down the country but relying on peoples ignorance is far less agro and time consuming.

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Interaction over on Twitter today.

I suspect they won’t reply :roll_eyes::rofl:

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Social media team won’t have a clue about their own drone policy, it’ll be lost on them until they Google it.

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Then demand you take it down

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