Greater London Council parks, gardens and open spaces bye-laws

Areas covered by GLC bye-laws (Please note, other parks and open spaces are covered by our bye-laws) 

• Battersea Park
• Wandsworth Park
• Tooting Bec Common
• Tooting Common
• Tooting Graveney Common
• Wandsworth Common and extension
• Garratt Green

Definitions
In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires, 'open space' means any park, garden or open space vested in or under the control of the council.

No person shall remove, uproot, destroy or injure any tree, shrub, or plant, or pluck any flower, bough or leaf, or dig, cut or take any turf, sod, gravel, sand, clay or other substance in any open space.

No person shall climb on any tree or on or over any gate, fence or railing in or enclosing any open space.

No person shall in any open space go upon any land specially enclosed or the entry on which is prohibited by notice or go upon any shrubbery or flowerbed.

Trespass
No male person over the age of 14 years shall go or attempt to go into any part of any open space in contravention of any regulation of the council specified in a notice exhibited on such part reserving such part for the use of female persons and children under the age of 14 years old only.

No person shall in any open space wilfully break or damage any ice on any pond or lake, or when prohibited by notice go or attempt to go upon any such ice.

No person shall, without first obtaining or otherwise than in accordance with the terms of a permit from the council, camp out or any open space.

No person shall wilfully enter into or remain in any open space of any part of any open space during any time appointed for closing the same.

No person shall in any open space go or attempt to go into any water closet, urinal or other place of convenience provided for the opposite sex or infringe any regulation of the council set up therein controlling the sue thereof.

Buildings and obstructions
No person shall in any open space, without first obtaining or otherwise than in accordance with the terms of a permit from the council, erect or place or retain any post, rail, fence, photographic stand apparatus, tent, booth, screen, stand, swing or other building, erection or structure of any obstruction of any king whatever. 

Traffic
No person shall, except in case of accident or unavoidable cause, land in any open space or take off therefrom in any aircraft, provided that this bye-law shall not apply to the use of members of air defence units of such landing or taking off grounds and on such occasions as may be approved by the council in writing under the hand of its clerk for purposes of air defence exercises. 

No person shall in any open space, except on roads or other places provided for the purpose by the council, ride or drive any horse or other beast of draght or burden or any bicycle, tricycle or any vehicle drawn or propelled by any animal or by mechanical power. 

No person shall in any open space drive any vehicle, bicycle or tricycle or ride any animal at a rate exceeding twelve miles an hour or so as to endanger the public. 

Any persons driving any vehicle in any open space shall when called upon to stop by signal or otherwise by an officer of the council acting in execution of his duty shall stop, and if he refuses or willfully fails to do so shall be guilty of an offence. 

No person shall in any open space or in any way use any motor vehicle for the purpose of giving or receiving instruction in driving, managing or repairing such vehicle. 

No person shall leave any mechanically propelled vehicle: 

a) unattended in any open space, except at such places as are approved by the council as standing or parking places,

b) on any road in any open space after having been requested by a duly authorised officer of the council or a police constable to remove it.

No person shall take or drive on any road in any open space any public service vehicle or any vehicle, wheelbarrow or truck constructed, designed or used for trade purposes, or any mechanically propelled vehicle bearing a manufacturer's, repairer's or dealer's identification mark or in an unfinished condition.

Horses, dogs and other animals
No person shall in any open space lead from horseback any riderless horse which is not appropriately bridled and rugged or saddled, or so as to endanger the public.

No person shall in any open space lunge or break in any horse or other animal. 

No person shall cause or suffer any dog belonging to him or in his charge for the time being to enter or remain in any open space unless such dog be under proper control and be effectually restrained from injuring, annoying or disturbing any person or animal or from running on any flower bed or injuring any tree, shrub or plant.

No person shall, in any part of any open space where a notice stating that all dogs or dogs of a particular class or breed must be kept on a lead or muzzled is exhibited, cause or suffer any dog belonging to him or in his charge for the time being to enter or remain therein unless such dog is kept on a lead or is muzzled in accordance with such notice, and no person shall in any part of any open space where a notice prohibiting the admission of dogs is exhibited, cause or suffer any dog belonging to him or in his charge for the time being to enter therein.

No person shall turn out to graze or feed or allow to suffer to stray or remain any cattle, sheep, swine, horse, ass, mule, goose, duck, fowl or other animal in any open space without right or without the consent of hte Council in writing under the hand of its clerk. 

No person shall in any open space willfilly disturb any animal grazing or shall harry, illtreat or injure or destroy any animal, bird or fish or take or attempt to take any animal, bird, fish or egg or set any trap.

Nuisances
No person shall in any open space or in any lake, pond, fountain or ornamental water therein, deposit or leave any dead animal, offensive litter, house or trade refuse or any turf, sod, gravel, sand, clay or other substance or except in receptacles provided by the council for the purpose any bottle, tine, container, broken glass or crockery, waster paper or other like article or thing.

No person shall willfully break any glass, china or other like thing in any open space. 

No person shall in any open space sort rags, bones, refuse or matter of like nature or mend any chair. 

No person shall in any open space shake or beat any carpet, mat or other thing or place any clothes or other things for the purpose of drying or bleaching. 

No person shall in any open space discharge any gun, syringe, squirt, catapult or other instrument, or shall wantonly or recklessly throw or discharge any stone or missile, or make any bonfire or let off any firework. 

No person shall in any open space commit any nuisance contrary to public decency or propriety. 

No person shall in any open space wash any clothes, dog or other animal or thing or do any act likely to cause pollution of the water in any drinking fountain, lake, pond or trough. 

No person shall in any open space bet, brawl, fight or use indecent or improper language or designedly do any act which outrages public decency or which comes within the meaning of the 4th Section of the Vagrancy Act 1824 whether the offence be committed with intent to insult any female or not.

No person in a verminous or offensively filthy condition shall lie about in any open space or lie upon or occupy any seat therein. 

Sale of articles, exhibition of advertisements, etc

No person shall in any open space: 

a)  sell, offer for sale, exhibit for sale, or distribute any book, pamphlet, leaflet, card, bill, advertisement or literature of any kind whatsoever;

b) subject to the foregoing provision sell, offer for sale, exhibit for sale, or distribute any other article, or let for hire any article or place any stand, chair, or seat for hire of display with any advertisement without the consent of the Council in writing under the hand of its clerk. 

Plying for hire
No person shall in any open space ply for hire, or let out any horse or other animal or any vehicle without the consent of the council in writing under the hand of its clerk. 

Public meetings
No person shall in any open space deliver, utter or read or maintain the right to deliver, utter, or read any public speech, lecture, prayer, scripture, sermon or address of any kind or description whatsoever or enter into any public discussion or hold or cause or take part in any public meeting except between sunrise and sunset and on the site or sites, if any, approved by the council and defined by notice boards and also shown on duplicate plans deposited at the Home Office and with the clerk of the council. 

No person shall in any open space without the consent of the council in writing under the hand of its clerk, operate, play, or make sounds on any musical or other instrument including any gramophone or radio apparatus or without such consent sing any sacred or secular song except on the site or sites mentioned in the preceeding bye law.

Soliciting or gathering money
No person shall in any open space solicit or gather money or other thing except within the limits of the site or sites upon which public meetings are allowed to be held and without first obtaining or otherwise than in accordance with the terms of a permit from the council, for which application shall be made in writing at least twenty-one clear days in advance, stating the place in which the collection is to be made; provided that a permit shall not be refused if the person applying for the same show to the satisfaction of the council that the collection will be organised by some well known charitable society and will be for the public good and not to the personal benefit of any individual or individuals.

Games, drilling, etc
No person shall in any open space practice gymnastics, play or make preparation to play any game or take part in any sport or entertainment or dance, bather, fish, use any boat or sail any model yacht without the consent of the council in writing under the hand of its clerk except on the parts or places respectively set apart therefor or infringe any regulations of the council with respect to the use of any such part or place and the conduct of persons using the same or resorting thereto as may be specified in any notice from time to time exhibited on any such part or place.

No person shall in any open space infringe any regulation of the council with respect to the use of apparatus and equipment (including lockers and other conveniences) and dressing accommodation provided or maintained by the council for use in connection with rifle ranges, games and recreation or with respect to the use of dressing accommodation, towels, conveniences, screens, costumes and other things provided or maintained by the council and necessary or convenient for persons using any open air bath or pool, such regulations being specified in a notice exhibited on the part of places set apart for such rifle ranges, games, recreations, open air baths, or pools, as the case may be.

No person shall in any open space drill or practice military evolutions or exercises without the consent of the council in writing under the hand of its clerk.

No person shall in any open space interfere with, obstruct or annoy any person or persons who are lawfully engaged in pursuance of these byelaws or any general authority or Act of Parliament in military or athletic exercises or in playing or making preparation to play at any lawful game or in playing music or delivering any public address or doing any other act.

Obstructing officers of the council, etc
No person shall in any open space resist, obstruct or aid or incite any person to resist or obstruct any officer of the council of other person in the execution of his duty or lawful exercise of his authority.

Offenders, penalties, etc
Any person (not being an officer of the council acting in execution of his duty or other persons acting in lawful exercise of any authority) committing any breach of these bye-laws shall be subject to a penalty for each day on which such offences shall continue after written notice of the offence shall have been given by the council.

It shall be lawful for any officer of the council to exclude or remove from any open space, any person committing any breach of the above bye-laws and all gypsies, hawkers, whether licensed or not, beggars and rogues and vagabonds, and if any such persons, after being told by any officer of the council not to come into or upon any open space, shall come therein or thereon, or after being told by any office of the council togo therefrom, shall neglect or refuse to go, or having left the place after being told as aforesaid, to go therefrom or having been removed therefrom as aforesaid, shall return thereto, such person shall be guilty or an offence against the bye-laws and be liable to a penalty.