Hey everyone, I’m up in the Manchester area for a couple of days with work and was hoping to fly the drone in a spare evening - from what I’ve seen online it looks like you can’t fly in the Peak District (was hoping to head up to Shutlingsloe area). Does any one know any different? Cheers
If no one can see you, and it’s quiet, and of course even I won’t break he nfz rule, pop it.
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There is a bye law against flying on land owned by the National Park authority. But they own only a small part of the park area. So unless you know which parts, you may just wish to plead ignorance when challenged.
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Thanks is there anyway online to find out who owns what?
I don’t know of any. So I just get on with it. The likelihood of someone taking a bye law prosecution to court is very small, and the only worthwhile action they can take in the event of a one-off trespass is to ask you to leave the land (and not even then if you are making reasonable use of a public right of way).
I guess there is not one user of this forum who has ever been successfully prosecuted or sued in relation to a drone flight.
These photos were taken in the Peak District just a few days ago. Nobody approached me to complain.
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I’ve flown up there a couple of times, first off Stanage edge, out of breeding season and got a mouthful off a woman for ruining the peace.
15 mins later she stormed back looking for me as she wanted to shout at me again, turned out it was the microlight that’s was offending her and not my drone.
Other times, was approached but just out of interest as to flying a drone.
Here is a link to find the owners of property in the Peaks.
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If the bye law for National Parks is the same as the National trust thenit dates from 1965 and applies to conveyances. Of course the Human rights act trumps any byelaws in that you are allowed peaceful enjoyment of your hobby.
Here’s the only relevant line in the Human Rights Act:
Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
Good luck challenging any byelaws with that one!
The National Trust Bye-laws are not the same as the Peak District National Park Bye-laws.
The main “anti-drone” provision in the National Trust document is cl.24:
No person shall on Trust Property wilfully obstruct, disturb, interrupt or annoy any other person in the proper use and enjoyment of such property
The Peak District National Park (PDNP) have something much clearer in their Cl.17:
No person shall on the access land release any power-drive model aircraft for flight or control the flight of such an aircraft.
Both bye-laws only apply to people “on” the land i.e. you can still fly over from elsewhere.
I believe the “access land” referred to by PDNP is shown in yellow on OS maps, and also online on the DEFRA Magic site. On the menus, select Access → CROW Act 2000 Access Layer, and zoom in until the areas show in yellow.
Returning to @OllieDixon’s original query, parts of Shutlingsloe are “access land” covered by the PDNP, and parts are not:
I think the chances of meeting any actual Drone PoliceTM must be next to nil, and I’d crack on, personally. I’d certainly not turn up with the yellow areas of map in my pocket, much better to plead ignorance.
Surely, Access Land is defined as the the right to roam across it under CROW. It is not necessarily land owned by the park authority. Therefore bye-laws cannot be imposed on it only on that bit owned or managed by the Authority
There’s a discrepancy between what PDNP say on their own website about drones (that restrictions apply to land they own) and what their website says about the bye-laws (which apply to a schedule of access land within the park boundaries).
Protocol 1, Article 1 protects your right to enjoy your property peacefully
Property can include things like land, houses, objects you own, shares, licences, leases, patents, money, pensions and certain types of welfare benefits. A public authority cannot take away your property, or place restrictions on its use, without very good reason.
According to the live link to PDNP Byelaws
article 17 does appear to prohibit drones.
However take a look further down at article 24, if I am reading it correctly article 17 amongst others was revoked in 1996.
Article 24 revokes parts of an earlier set of bye-laws, not this set.
OK that’s a shame, thanks.
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