Hi there. I’m Giles from Maidstone and also new here to drone flying. Former glider pilot and PPL holder myself (from many moons ago). Trying to source places to fly and take the drone up for the first time (eeek). I’ve had some alarming news from the Council that they have bylaws in all their parks prohibiting drones now. Has anyone local found any decent spots to fly or have meetups?
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They do? 
Hello @CitizenPhaid welcome 
Hi Giles - welcome to GADC
Hello Giles, welcome to Grey Arrows… Had a PPL myself, many many moons ago, drones are a lot cheaper and more accessible… Check out the council byelaws, a lot of places say they have things in place, but dont actually do so… And you can still overfly them as long as your TOAL spot is on pulic land… Check out the Drone Scene map…
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Hi there. Welcome to the group. Hoo Marina (Rochester) is an interesting place for a flight, and not far from you. Parking isn’t too bad either. I went there recently.
Unenforceable lunacy. Completely unenforceable it’s a public owned /accessible place. If in doubt and your drone is under 249g just step on to the pavement and they can do one.
Not if they have byelaws in place
Again check for PSPO in the area, which could stop you.
Always better to be in full understanding though ;o)
As usual, though, they don’t. They just say they do in the hope that people will believe them.
TL;DR version - or CBA to follow the link
Dear Maidstone Borough Council,
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.
If you do not have any byelaws, do you have any other policies relating to the use of UAVs on your land?
Can you finally advise if these have been reviewed in relation to CAP722C (https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplic…) published by the Civil Aviation Authority in December 2020.
Yours faithfully,
Simon Hawkins
Maidstone Borough Council
Freedom of Information Act Request
Ref: FOI/3691
Date: 25 th January 2021
Request and Response
We have no policy in relation to this. We refer any queries to the guidance
issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Have a look at this post which is dated later than the Simon Hawkins request 
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What’s actually in the relevant section of the document?
EDIT : Found the other thread now. It does seem to be very specific to one area but hard to tell from the extract posted.
Exactly and without a link to the relevant document I’m sitting on the fence calling (semi) bullshit on it.
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Apologies I thought I added the section in from the bylaws doc. Ignore the bit about aircraft.
Aircraft
35. No person shall, except in case of emergency or with the consent of the Council, take
off from or land in the ground in an aircraft, helicopter, hang-glider or hot-air balloon.
Power-driven model aircraft
36. In byelaw 37 and 38:
“model aircraft” means an aircraft which either weighs not more than 7 kilograms
without its fuel or is for the time being exempted (as a model aircraft) from the
provisions or the Air Navigation Order;
“power driven” means driven by the combustion of petrol vapour or other combustible
vapour or other combustible substances or by one or more electric motors or by
compressed gas.
MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL BYELAWS
PARKS AND OPEN SPACES
Page 10 of 20 19/12/23
37 No person shall fly any power-driven model aircraft in the pleasure ground except in
that part of the pleasure ground know as Mangravet Recreation Ground, which has,
by a notice conspicuously exhibited in such pleasure ground, been set apart by the
Council for the flying of power-driven model aircraft.
38. No person shall in the part of Mangravet Recreation Ground set apart by the Council
for the flying of power-driven model aircraft:-
(i) fly any power-driven model aircraft unless it is kept under effective control;
(ii) fly any power-driven model aircraft when other prearranged sporting activities
are taking place with in the ground and a notice to this effect is conspicuously
exhibited in the ground.
Unfortunately as a noob I can’t post docs yet.
The bit that’s missing for me is the definition of ‘the pleasure ground’ of which Mangravet Recreation Ground is a part… because 36, 37 and 38 only seem to apply there.
In the document it defines a pleasureground as any park or ground listed in the attached schedule…which is every park and open space in the borough. Speaking to a local councillor we think the doc may be pre 2000 as one park isn’t listed (so I could fly there lol). I’m going to sub another request to find out when the laws were enacted and through which committee as he can’t see its enactment anywhere.
Might be worth raising the previous FOI that said there were no restrictions. If that doc is pre-2000 they can’t both be right.