Public Spaces Protection Orders
(asked on 3rd November 2016) - View Source
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) can be made to include the space above the designated area of the PSPO in such a way as to control the operation of objects such as drones.
Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Public Spaces Protection Orders are designed to ensure that public spaces are not affected by anti-social behaviour so that the law-abiding majority can use and enjoy them.
These powers are local in nature, and it is for local councils (or designated bodies) to determine whether a Public Spaces Protection Order is an appropriate response to any specific anti-social behaviour that may be associated with the use of drones and satisfies the relevant legal tests.
An order may only be imposed where the council (or designated body) is satisfied that the relevant statutory conditions have been met and after the necessary consultation and publicity has been carried out. Furthermore, any interested person may challenge the validity of a Public Spaces Protection Order in the High Court.