Are you fed up with driving past that perfectly flat field with only one cow in it?
Are you narked that the farmer who own’s that field can’t let you use without damaging his European subsidies?
Sick at being treated as a second class, sporting citizen?
So you’re stuck driving half way across the country to avoid beaches with ban’s or ducking in and out of goal posts?The main problem is the following, below is an extract from a letter that I received from the Rural Payments Agency.
“Following guidance received from DEFRA, Traction Kiting and a ‘safe fly zone’ is considered in the same category a Motor Sports….”
Basically this means that we fall in the Category B list of Activities, which permits us to use the land but for no more that 28 days per year and outside of the Single Payment Scheme’s 10 month rule.
I have started a petition to have kite sports listed in the Category A list, or Activities that can be carried out without restriction on the Land. Alongside Hang-Gliding and Paragliding. This will enable us to start reasonable dialogues with Farmers to use and maintain their land so that we can enjoy a greater proportion of our windy island!!
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/safeflyzones/
Please support the campaign, the more signatures we get the more likely we are to succeed. Even if you live by a beach without a ban or only fly on water or snow, come out in solidarity for the rest of us land locked grass lubbers and sign up all the same.
The other condition is that the Farmer should not accept payment for the use of the land. This is the subject of another petition and angle of attack I shall be pursuing. When I’ve got it sorted I’ll add the link to this thread. At the end of the day if we don’t ask we won’t get!! So send the link around your address book and see if we can’t increase our Freedom To Fly!
If someone has already tried, my sincere thanks for trying and I would gratefully accept any advice from your experience.
Thanks in advance for your help and support, and if there are any more questions drop me a pm or post a question. And yes I probably do have too much time on my hands ) !!!
Cheers……..