Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | SI 1997/1639 |
1997 No. 1639
OPEN SPACES
The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997
Made 20th August 1997
Coming into force 1st October 1997
Whereas a draft of these Regulations has been laid before Parliament for a period of forty days pursuant to section 6 of the Statutory Instruments Act 19461, and that period has expired without either House resolving that the Regulations be not made:
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(1) of the Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 19262as extended by section 7(5) of the Crown Estate Act 19613and now vested in her4, the Secretary of State hereby makes the following Regulations:—
Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997 and shall come into force on 1st October 1997.
(2) In these Regulations:—
“constable” includes a park constable within the meaning of section 3 of the Parks Regulation Act 18725as amended by the Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 19746;
“Palace” means Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court Palace or St. James’s Palace;
“Park” means an area of land described in Schedule 1 to these Regulations;
“Park road” means a road, which is for the time being open to vehicular traffic, in a Park;
“taxi” means a vehicle licensed under section 6 of the Metropolitan Carriage Act 18697;
“the public speaking area” means that part of Hyde Park bounded by Cumberland Gate and North Carriage Drive on the north, Stanhope Walk on the west, Grosvenor Walk on the south, and the Broad Walk on the east, including the area known as Speakers' Corner;
“the riding ways” means—
(a) in relation to Hyde Park, the Park roads therein and the horse rides known as the Dorchester Ride, the Ladies' Mile, the New Ride, the North Ride, Rotten Row and the Serpentine Ride, and
(b) in relation to St. James’s and The Green Parks, the Park roads therein and the horse rides known as Constitution Hill Ride and the Mall Ride.
Restriction on use of a Park
2. No person, without the written permission of the Secretary of State, shall—
(1) be in a Park, or any part thereof, at a time when that Park or part thereof is not open to the public;
(2) except in an emergency, land a helicopter or other aircraft in a Park or enter a Park therefrom; or
(3) permit any animal of which he is in charge to be in any Park or part thereof in contravention of a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State.
Acts prohibited in a Park
3. Subject to the provisions of regulation 6, no person using a Park shall—
(1) intentionally or recklessly interfere with the safety, comfort or convenience of any person using a Park in accordance with these Regulations;
(2) deposit waste, litter or any other article into, or do any act which pollutes or is likely to pollute water in, any fountain, lake, pond or river;
(3) drop or leave litter or refuse except in a receptacle provided for the purpose;
(4) use—
(a)
(a) any pedal cycle, or
(b)
(b) any roller skate, roller blade, skate board or other foot-propelled device
except on a Park road or in an area designated and marked as being for that purpose by the Secretary of State;
(5) fail to keep any animal of which he is in charge under control or on a lead—
(a)
(a) after having been required by a constable to do so, or
(b)
(b) in contravention of a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State;
(6) permit any animal of which he is in charge to foul any pathway or mown lawn;
(7) permit any animal of which he is in charge to be tethered or to graze;
(8) fail to remove any animal of which he is in charge from a Park or place in that Park after having been required by a constable to do so;
(9) fail to comply with any direction for the regulation or control of—
(a)
(a) horses or pedal cycles, or
(b)
(b) roller skates, roller blades, skate boards or other foot-propelled devices
given by a constable or by a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State;
(a)
(a) (10) ride any animal,
(b)
(b) drive or ride any vehicle, or
(c)
(c) use any pedal cycle, roller skate, roller blade, skate board or other foot-propelled device
in any manner that endangers or is likely to endanger any person;
(a)
(a) (11) use a pedal cycle (other than when it is parked), or
(b)
(b) drive or ride a vehicle
between sunset and sunrise, or in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset, unless it is lit in accordance with the Road Vehicles (Lighting) Regulations 19898, and for the purposes of this regulation references in the Road Vehicles (Lighting) Regulations 1989 to a road shall be deemed to be references to a Park road or any other area designated and marked as being an area in which a pedal cycle may be used;
(12) drive or ride any vehicle off a Park road except—
(a)
(a) for the purpose of parking that vehicle in a place reserved for that purpose by the Secretary of State,
(b)
(b) an invalid carriage, or
(c)
(c) a vehicle in use for the purpose of transacting business with any person either residing in a Palace or Park or using land therein under licence from the Secretary of State
provided in the case of sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) above that the said vehicle is not driven at a speed exceeding 15 m.p.h.;
(13) in contravention of a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State, or after having been required by a constable not to do so—
(a)
(a) play any game or engage in any form of sport or exercise,
(b)
(b) use any kite or model aircraft or any mechanically propelled or operated model, or
(c)
(c) skate or otherwise go on any ice;
(14) fail, when in the public speaking area in Hyde Park, to comply with a direction given by a constable to move from some place in that area or to leave the area;
(15) fail to move any chair, stand or platform in the public speaking area in Hyde Park in accordance with a direction given by a constable;
(16) fail to comply with a reasonable direction given by a constable to leave a Park or any part thereof.
Acts in a Park for which written permission is required
4. Unless the Secretary of State’s written permission has first been obtained, no person using a Park shall—
(1) interfere with any plant or fungus;
(2) go on any flower bed or shrubbery, or on any area of a Park access to which is prohibited by a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State;
(3) use or operate a metal or mineral detector or any device for locating objects below ground level;
(4) attach any article to, climb or interfere with any tree, railing, fence, statue, seat, building or structure;
(5) interfere with any notice or sign;
(6) carry on any trade or business in a Park, offer anything for sale or hire or expose or have in his possession anything for the purpose of sale or hire therein;
(7) use language which publicly intimates that any article, commodity, facility or service can be obtained in a Park or elsewhere;
(8) exhibit any notice or advertisement or any other written or pictorial matter;
(9) play or cause to be played a musical instrument;
(10) use any apparatus for the transmission, reception, reproduction or amplification of sound, speech or images, except apparatus designed and used as an aid to defective hearing, or apparatus used in a vehicle so as not to produce sound audible to a person outside that vehicle, or apparatus used where the sound is received through headphones;
(11) discharge any weapon which is a firearm within the meaning of section 57 of the Firearms Act 19689, or project any missile manually or by artificial means;
(12) camp or erect or cause to be erected any tent or enclosure;
(13) wash or dry any piece of clothing or linen;
(14) collect or solicit money or any other gift;
(15) make or give a public speech or address except in the public speaking area...
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