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Privacy Policy

1.  Who We Are

South Downs Drone Survey Ltd (‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) is a CAA licensed drone survey and aerial photography company based in Sussex, operating across the South East of England and beyond.

We are the data controller for the personal information we collect and process. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is used.

Our contact details:

  • Company: South Downs Drone Survey Ltd
  • Email: martin@southdownsdronesurvey.com
  • Telephone: 07971524627
  • Address: 92 Oaktree Drive, Hassocks, West Sussex, BN6 8YD
2.  What Personal Data We Collect
Information you provide to us

When you contact us, submit an enquiry, or engage our services, we may collect:

  • Your name and job title
  • Organisation or company name
  • Email address and telephone number
  • Postal address or site address
  • Details of the project or survey you are enquiring about
  • Payment information (processed securely via our payment provider — we do not store card details)
  • Any other information you choose to share with us
Information we collect automatically

When you visit our website (southdownsdronesurvey.com), we automatically collect:

  • Your IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages visited and time spent on each page
  • Referring website or search terms used to find us
  • Cookie data (see Section 10 below)
Aerial imagery and survey data

In the course of carrying out drone surveys and aerial photography, we may incidentally capture imagery that includes:

  • People present at or near the survey site
  • Vehicles and private property
  • Surrounding land and buildings beyond the immediate survey area

We take all reasonable steps to minimise the capture of unnecessary personal data during operations. Our work is conducted in accordance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, CAA regulations, and the ICO’s guidance on drones and data protection.

3.  Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every use of your personal data. We rely on the following:

  • Contract: where processing is necessary to fulfil or prepare a contract with you — for example, providing a quote or carrying out a survey.
  • Legitimate interests: where processing is in our legitimate business interests and does not override your rights — for example, responding to enquiries, maintaining records of completed work, and improving our services.
  • Legal obligation: where processing is required to comply with a legal obligation, such as retaining financial records or meeting CAA regulatory requirements.
  • Consent: where you have given specific, informed consent — for example, to receive marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.
4.  How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the information we collect to:

  • Respond to your enquiries and provide quotations
  • Deliver the drone survey, aerial photography, or inspection services you have commissioned
  • Communicate with you about your project, including updates and delivery of outputs
  • Process payments and maintain financial and legal records
  • Comply with our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations (including CAA operational requirements)
  • Improve our website, services, and client communications
  • Send marketing communications where you have consented, or where we have a legitimate interest to do so
  • Investigate and respond to complaints or disputes
5.  Marketing Communications

With your consent, we may contact you by email with information about our services, seasonal availability, and news we think may be of interest.

You can opt out at any time by:

  • Clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
  • Emailing us at martin@southdownsdronesurvey.com
  • Calling us on 07971524627

Opting out of marketing will not affect communications related to your existing or ongoing projects.

6.  Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information with:

  • Sub-contractors or specialist operators engaged to assist in delivering your project, who are bound by appropriate data protection obligations
  • IT service providers and software platforms (e.g. email, cloud storage, accounting software) acting as data processors under our instruction
  • Payment processing providers for the secure handling of financial transactions
  • Professional advisers including accountants, insurers, and legal advisers where necessary
  • Regulatory authorities or law enforcement where required by law

All third parties are required to process your data in accordance with UK GDPR and to maintain appropriate security measures.

7.  Aerial Imagery — Data Protection Considerations

Aerial imagery captured during our operations may constitute personal data where individuals or private property can be identified.

We comply with ICO guidance on drones and the Data Protection Act 2018. Specifically:

  • We assess data protection implications prior to any survey that may capture imagery of identifiable individuals
  • We take reasonable steps to avoid capturing unnecessary imagery of individuals and private residential property
  • Raw survey data and imagery is stored securely and accessible only to authorised personnel
  • Survey outputs delivered to clients are subject to appropriate data processing arrangements where required
  • Footage or imagery featuring identifiable individuals will not be shared publicly without appropriate consent

If you believe you have been captured in our aerial imagery and wish to raise a concern or exercise your right to erasure, please contact us using the details in Section 11.

8.  How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law:

Data Type

Retention Period

Enquiry and contact records

2 years from last contact

Client project records

7 years from project completion (legal/financial obligations)

Financial and invoicing records

7 years (HMRC requirements)

Survey data and aerial imagery

Duration of client agreement, then securely deleted unless otherwise agreed in writing

Marketing consent records

Until consent is withdrawn, then deleted within 30 days

Website analytics data

26 months (aggregated; not linked to individuals)

9.  Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK data protection law you have the following rights:

Right of access

You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request). We will respond within one month free of charge.

Right to rectification

You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’)

You may request that we delete your personal data where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it. This right is not absolute — we may need to retain certain data to meet legal obligations.

Right to restriction of processing

You may request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances — for example, while we investigate a complaint.

Right to data portability

Where we process your data by automated means on the basis of consent or a contract, you have the right to receive that data in a structured, machine-readable format.

Right to object

You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making

We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at martin@southdownsdronesurvey.com. We will respond within one calendar month. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

10.  How We Protect Your Data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or destruction. These include:

  • Encrypted, secure storage for client data and survey outputs
  • Password-protected systems with access restricted to authorised personnel
  • Secure file transfer methods for delivering survey data to clients
  • Regular review of our data handling practices and security measures

In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and, where required, notify affected individuals without undue delay.

11.  Third Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third party websites and social media platforms. This privacy policy applies only to southdownsdronesurvey.com. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any external sites and recommend you review their individual policies.

12.  Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, we ask that you contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the matter.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

  • Website: ico.org.uk
  • Helpline: 0303 123 1113
  • Post: ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
13.  Changes to This Policy

We review and update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The ‘Last updated’ date at the top of the policy will always reflect the current version.

For significant changes, we will notify active clients directly where possible.

15.  How to Contact Us

For any questions about this policy, to exercise your data rights, or to raise a concern:

  • Email: martin@southdownsdronesurvey.com
  • Telephone: 07971524627