Can a UK university require permission for non-commercial photography on campus?
Asked 4/12/2018
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2 answers
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I’m a student at a UK university and was taking non-commercial photos of buildings and alleys on campus when campus security stopped me. They took my details and said I should get a permit from the university, and told me to stop shooting until I had one. Do universities in the UK typically have the right to require permission for photography on campus, or does it depend on whether the area is public or private property?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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I think it comes down to whether your university is private or public.
From the Met's webpage on police guidelines for photography:
Freedom to photograph and film
Members of the public and the media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop them filming or photographing incidents or police personnel.
So, if your university is public, the grounds constitute public areas, and you are legally free to shoot without a permit. But if the grounds are privately owned (like a shopping mall), then the situation is different and you legally do need permission.
Regardless of whether or not you legally require permission, chances are good, though, that the security teams won't stop harassing you until you do, if they've been trained to stop anyone from taking any pictures otherwise.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
7y ago
0
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It depends on whether you were in a genuinely public place or on university-controlled private land.
In the UK, photography in public places generally does not require a permit. But a university campus is not automatically a public place just because the university is publicly funded. Many campuses, quads, internal roads, and building surroundings are private property with public access, and the landowner can set conditions for entry, including restricting photography.
So if you were on university-owned land, security can usually ask you to stop and require permission or a permit as a condition of remaining there. If you were standing on a public street or other true public right-of-way, the position is different and permission is generally not required.
In practice, the exact answer depends on the specific location and the university’s policy. Since security has already raised it, the sensible next step is to check the university’s rules or ask the Students’ Union, which may know the policy or whether a photography society already has guidance.
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