The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Hillsborough Park, Sheffield) Regulations 2026
Prohibited unmanned aircraft flights below 1,600 feet near Hillsborough Park, Sheffield, during a three-day period in July 2026.
The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Hillsborough Park, Sheffield) Regulations 2026 prohibit the operation of unmanned aircraft within a specified circular area centered at Hillsborough Park from 24 July 2026 to 26 July 2026.
The restriction applies to flights below 1,600 feet above mean sea level during designated daytime and evening hours.
The regulations apply to all unmanned aircraft operators, except those granted specific permission by the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team.
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 at the Tramlines music festival.
Proponents within the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport state that the measure is required for reasons of public safety and security.
The document specifies that the legal basis for the order is article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016.
Arguments Against
Legal commentators might question the proportionality of a 0.8 nautical mile radius for an urban music festival if the restriction impacts commercial or recreational drone operators outside the immediate event perimeter.
Civil liberties groups often express concern regarding the delegation of permit-granting authority to police units, such as the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team, without specific published criteria for approval or denial.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Hillsborough Park, Sheffield) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 24th July 2026.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active. The regulations take effect on 24 July 2026.
Interpretation
- The times referred to in regulation 3(1) are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).
This section clarifies the time standard used to define the duration of the flight restrictions.
It specifies Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which the document notes is one hour behind British Summer Time.
Restricted airspace
- -(1) Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 1000 hours and ending with 2259 hours on each of the three days beginning with 24th July 2026 and ending with 26th July 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 1,600 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 0.8 of a nautical mile which is centred at 532426N 0013002W.
(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 the flight of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, within a 0.8 nautical mile radius of a specific coordinate in Sheffield.
The restriction applies between 1000 and 2259 UTC daily from 24 July to 26 July 2026 at altitudes below 1,600 feet above mean sea level.
It grants the South Yorkshire Police Counter-UAS Team the authority to exempt specific flights from this prohibition.
Operators must obtain explicit permission from this police unit to fly within the restricted zone during the specified times.
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