The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (St Leger Festival, Doncaster) Regulations 2026
Established a temporary restricted airspace for unmanned aircraft in Doncaster during the 2026 St Leger Festival.
These Regulations prohibit the operation of unmanned aircraft below 1,100 feet above mean sea level within a specified area of Doncaster during the St Leger Festival.
The restriction applies to all drone operators from 0900 to 1900 hours UTC on 12 September 2026, unless they have obtained explicit permission from the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team.
The measure is intended to manage airspace safety and security in the vicinity of a large public gathering.
Arguments For
The Secretary of State asserts that restrictions are necessary in the public interest due to the intended gathering of a large number of persons.
The Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport state that the measures are required for reasons of public safety and security.
The document provides a mechanism for authorized flight, allowing the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team to grant specific permissions.
Arguments Against
Operators of unmanned aircraft may face restricted access to airspace typically available for recreational or commercial use.
The reliance on Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) in the text requires pilots to manually convert to British Summer Time (BST) to ensure compliance, which could lead to timing errors.
The regulations do not specify the criteria the South Yorkshire Police will use to grant or deny flight permissions, potentially leaving the authorization process to agency discretion.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (St Leger Festival, Doncaster) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 12th September 2026.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active. The rules take effect on 12 September 2026.
Interpretation
- The times referred to in regulation 3(1) are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).
( b ) Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).
This section defines the time standard used throughout the document.
It clarifies that all listed times are in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is one hour behind the local British Summer Time.
Restricted airspace
- -(1) Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 0900 hours and ending with 1900 hours on 12th September 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,100 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by straight lines joining successively the following points-
- (a) 533200N 0010724W,
- (b) 533151N 0010340W,
- (c) 533030N 0010350W,
- (d) 533036N 0010740W,
- (e) 533200N 0010724W.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any unmanned aircraft flying in accordance with a permission issued by the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team.
This section prohibits unmanned aircraft from flying below 1,100 feet within a specific geographic box defined by five sets of coordinates.
The restriction is active between 09:00 and 19:00 UTC on 12 September 2026.
The South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team is authorized to grant exemptions to this prohibition.
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