Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Usage Policy

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become far more common in recent years and can provide valuable advantages when carrying out Buckinghamshire Council operations.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Unmanned Aerial Vehicle operation, associated with Buckinghamshire Council, is carried out safely and in accordance with regulatory requirements.

The Planning Compliance and Enforcement Team would utilise the UAV to document a site at a specific time from the air, to provide a clear record of both the operational development and use of a site. This can be particularly useful when trying to place a specific marker on a site should there be any potential for issues to arise on a site in the future.

For sites where access is restricted. The drones can be safely deployed near the site and can record the activities/operations being undertaken. This will greatly reduce the risk to staff when dealing with confrontational individuals or on inaccessible/remote or large scale sites and will allow Officers to make better informed decisions on how to proceed with their cases. The use of a drone where a potential vexatious complainant is involved could be a very useful asset.

The use of the drone could also help filter complaints and a site inspection could be carried out without the alleged contraveners being aware, thus removing any unnecessary stress caused by multiple enforcement visits.