The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Daresbury, Cheshire) Regulations 2026
Restricted the use of unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of Daresbury, Cheshire, during the 2026 Creamfields Music Festival.
These Regulations prohibit the flight of unmanned aircraft below 1,300 feet above mean sea level in a specific area of Daresbury, Cheshire, between 27 and 31 August 2026.
The restriction applies to all unmanned aircraft operators, with exceptions for police air support, aircraft already restricted by separate North West Transit Corridor regulations, and those with specific permission from Creamfields Festival coordinators.
The Secretary of State for Transport issued this order to ensure safety during a large public gathering.
Arguments For
The Secretary of State asserts that the restrictions are necessary in the public interest due to the intended gathering of a large number of persons.
The document states that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree the restrictions are required for public safety and security.
The Regulations provide for specific exemptions to allow for essential operations by police air support units and aircraft authorized by event coordinators.
Arguments Against
Legal scholars may note that the restriction relies on precise geographic coordinates which may be difficult for recreational drone operators to interpret without specialized software.
Affected parties, such as commercial drone operators or hobbyists not affiliated with the event, may argue that the five-day duration and altitude limits restrict the use of local airspace for non-event related activities.
The effectiveness of the regulation depends on the dissemination of information via NOTAM (Notice to Aviation), which may not be routinely monitored by all unmanned aircraft operators.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Daresbury, Cheshire) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 27th August 2026.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations.
It sets the legal start date for these rules as 27 August 2026.
Interpretation
- The times referred to in regulation 3(2) are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).
( b ) Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).
This section clarifies the time standard used throughout the document.
It specifies that all listed times follow Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is one hour behind local British Summer Time.
Restricted airspace
- -(1) Subject to paragraph (3), during the period specified in paragraph (2) no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,300 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by-
- (a) 532117N 0023723W,
- (b) 532122N 0023647W,
- (c) 532113N 0023647W,
- (d) 532113N 0023639W,
- (e) 532058N 0023637W,
- (f) 532033N 0023620W,
- (g) 531958N 0023620W,
- (h) 531946N 0023719W,
- (i) 531949N 0023724W,
- (j) 531952N 0023722W,
- (k) 531955N 0023728W,
- (l) 532028N 0023722W,
- (m) 532023N 0023735W,
- (n) 532005N 0023743W,
- (o) 532005N 0023804W,
- (p) 532028N 0023748W,
- (q) 532030N 0023759W,
- (r) 532055N 0023730W,
- (s) 532103N 0023718W,
- (t) 532108N 0023732W, and
- (u) 532117N 0023723W.
(2) The period mentioned in paragraph (1) begins with 0700 hours on 27th August 2026 and ends with 1600 hours on 31st August 2026.
(3) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any unmanned aircraft-
- (a) insofar as flying is already prohibited by the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (North West Transit Corridor) (Restricted Area EGR323) Regulations 2024( a ), or
- (b) being flown in accordance with a permission issued by the Creamfields Festival Event Licensing Coordinator or Event Safety Coordinator, or
- (c) being flown by a police air support unit.
This section prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying below 1,300 feet within a specific geographic boundary defined by 21 sets of coordinates.
The ban remains in effect from 07:00 UTC on 27 August 2026 until 16:00 UTC on 31 August 2026.
Certain aircraft are exempt, including those operated by police air support, those with permission from specific festival safety officials, or those already governed by the North West Transit Corridor regulations.
Related
The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Little Gransden Airshow) Regulations 2026
Restricted flight operations within a 3-nautical-mile radius of Little Gransden Aerodrome on 30 August 2026.
Read MoreThe Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Trawsfynydd) Regulations 2026
Restricted flight operations below 3,000 feet in the Trawsfynydd area for a specific nine-hour period on 18 August 2026.
Read MoreThe Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Billing, Northampton) (Emergency) Regulations 2026
Established an emergency no-fly zone for drones below 1,300 feet in Billing, Northampton, effective August 18, 2026.
Read MoreThe Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Dowlais, South Wales) (Emergency) (No. 2) Regulations 2026
Established an emergency restricted airspace zone for unmanned aircraft near Dowlais, South Wales, effective 15 August 2026.
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