Angus issues protocol limiting use of drones

Drone pilots must get permission to overfly council property, including parks

Unauthorised Angus drones have been downed by a new protocol banning the flying of the increasingly popular machines over council parks and property without permission.

In what is believed to be a Courier Country first, Angus Council communities committee has approved a set of official guidelines for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) users as growing numbers of drones take to the skies.

The authority has said it does not want to take a killjoy approach to drone flying, but with untrained operators able to get their hands on quadcopters from under £40 the potential risk to other people has been a key driver in the council’s own dronecode being drafted.

Head of technical and property services Ian Cochrane said the protocol had been drafted in response to increasing requests for drone flights with a view to enabling their use and publicising the landscape of Angus.

The protocol states a “general principle”of welcoming the opportunity drones provide for filming the landscape, carrying out aerial inspections and giving recreational enjoyment.

However, the guidelines translate into a ban on drones being launched in council parks and recreational areas unless pilots complete a site-specific assessment covering factors including the safety of public, pets and wildlife and overlooking other properties.

If the council is filming using a drone it has said it will only use a Civil Aviation Authority licensed pilot or company, and firms approaching the authority with filming requests must be appropriately certificated, with a £5 million public liability insurance.

Other local authorities in Courier Country were contacted on the subject but did not respond to a query over whether they have a drone protocol or are in the process of formulating guidelines.

The websites of Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross councils give no guidance in relation to UAV or drone operation.

Angus is the first council in Courier Country to outline a drone protocol.