Important Information if you are planning to fly kites in the New Forest
The Crown Lands of the New Forest are managed by the Forestry Commission and following some confusion about the position regarding kite flying, SEKA has contacted the Commission to clarify the situation.
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Originally Posted by Forestry Commission
Kite Flying in the New Forest
The use of kite buggies and wheelboards on the Crown Land of the New Forest is not allowed under the Forestry Commission Byelaw 6 (i).
a) This byelaw states that vehicles are not allowed to be brought onto the Crown Lands. These buggies and wheelboards are ‘wheeled devices designed and built to carry humans’ and as such are classified as vehicles.
b) It is possible for some activities to be carried out using vehicles under permission from the Forestry Commission as was given for cycling on designated tracks. If a request was made for permission to carry out kite buggying or wheelieboarding, the Forestry Commission would not give it. The reason for this stance is that it goes against byelaw 5.xxiv – ‘no person shall in or on lands of the Commissioners play or practice any game or sport in such a manner as to disturb the peaceful use of such land or endanger the public or animals.’
It is felt that the area required to carry out this sport and the speed at which the vehicles travel do clearly lead to disturbance.
The flying of kites to a maximum size of 2m2 will be permitted on the Crown Lands of the New Forest.
a) Larger kites are not suitable for use in the New Forest. This stance has been taken for health and safety reasons (larger kites have more chance of going out of control) and also disturbing the peaceful use of the Forest as stated in the above byelaw 5.xxiv.
b) Children and families flying small kites is an acceptable activity provided it does not normally disturb other users.
To help you enjoy the Forest while minimising the wear and tear on the vegetation and soil, please follow the kite flyers code.
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The code they refer to is attached as a PDF.
Having spoken to them at length, it is clear that they have done this as they feel they have no alternative. They do not like the idea of stopping people using the Forest for recreation and have looked for suitable sites on their land but the places that are clearly good for Kiting are unsuitable due to the use of the lands by other people and animals. These sites include Wilverley Plain, Stoney Cross and Long Slade.
The Forestry Commission said that they will not use their powers to prosecute the byelaw unless they are dealing with persistent offenders. The Rangers have been given clear instructions to explain the situation to kiters who are unaware, but they have and will prosecute if an individual persists in breaking the byelaw.
Land which is not part of the Crown Lands is not affected by this. The rule of thumb I have been given is if the land has Forestry Commission signs up, then it is restricted. Private land is of course a different matter and permission needs to be sought from the landowner as usual.
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