I’ve been looking at maps and using Google Gemini a lot to try and find spots where there are no restrictions or a requirements to get permission and it feels like for every place I try it’s a case of “the computer says no”.
On the DJI app I see a lot of places where people have flown and took photos and videos but then I check the restrictions of the area and some of them either obtained permission or were clearly in breach (such as people flying at royal parks which is seeming not allowed due to byelaws)
In particular I was hoping to get some shots of Tower Bridge and the Arcelor Mittal tower and other spots of the Olympic Park to start with. Regarding Tower Bridge there are a few people talking about legal spots but then when checking those spots they require permission from either Southwark council or the Port of London Authority (PLA). PLA also seems to require an additional permission for photos and videos which feels nonsensical for recreation (they don’t seem to make a distinction as far as I could tell) given how many people such as tourists take videos and photos on the Thames without a permit. From what I’ve seen permits are rarely granted unless for professional operations.
I have a UK1 class DJI Lito X1 (got the plus batteries which take the weight over 249g).
At this point finding spots is getting so frustrating that I’m actually considering selling the drone. Unfortunately I had no idea there were so many restrictions until I opened the box and saw a warning telling me I needed to register for an operator and flyer ID and opened that can of worms.