Protestors in the United Kingdom have reached an agreement with Mid-Sussex District Council which avoids the implementation of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), after Scientology filed for a ban on demonstrations outside its Sussex headquarters.

After ten months of negotiations with the Council and a lengthy process during which officials examined hours of live stream footage and hundreds of documents submitted by both sides, both protestors and the Church of Scientology have agreed to implement a ‘Voluntary Code of Conduct’ as an alternative to a PSPO. This means an outright ban on protests is now unlikely.

The code of conduct does not restrict the rights of protestors and instead affirms their commitment to exercising their rights in a peaceful and legal manner. In a letter sent last week to all parties involved in the negotiations, Mid-Sussex District Council Assistant Director (Communities) Lucy Corrie wrote “The voluntary code of conduct does not restrict or alter anyone’s legal rights or remedies. Compliance with the terms of this Code, and the degree to which the Codes have helped to regulate and improve activities at Saint Hill Road, may be assessed by MSDC if for any reason it is required in the future to consider taking enforcement action to ensure public safety at the protest site.”

The agreement involves commitments from both sides and only impacts demonstrations held outside Scientology’s UK headquarters at Saint Hill, near East Grinstead in Sussex.

The protesters who were present at the IAS event in 2023 and 2024 have agreed to the following:

1. Whilst protesting on Saint Hill Road, protesters will continue to follow and comply with any instructions given by the police and/or any officers of MSDC or WSCC.

2. At all times protesters will remain in any space designated at any time for their use in agreement with the police, other than for the reasonable purposes of entering and exiting that space.

3. At all times protesters will remain on public land or the public highway. In particular they will not enter (or attempt to enter) the property of the Church at any time.

4. Protesters will not obstruct (or attempt to obstruct) any persons from entering Church premises.

5. Protesters will not (or will not attempt to) harass, intimidate or abuse any persons attending events at Church premises, or persons providing security or stewarding services for Church events. This includes using foul or abusive language.

6. Protesters will follow and comply with any instructions given by the police and/or officers of MSDC as regards the use of amplified music, voice or audio.

7. Protesters shall display this Voluntary Code of Conduct on their website and shall ensure that copies are available for any persons attending as protesters during any events at Saint Hill Road.

Voluntary Code of Conduct for Protesters at Saint Hill Road (Mid-Sussex District Council)

Scientology, on the other hand, have agreed to the following:

1. The Church (its staff, volunteers, agents or contractors) shall follow and comply with any instructions given by the police.

2. The Church shall ensure that persons providing stewarding or security services in and around its property are identifiable to members of the public by wearing high-vis jackets, armbands or similar.

3. The Church shall provide adequate lighting at the entrance to its premises on Saint Hill Road to ensure the safety of pedestrians entering or exiting its premises from the public highway. The adequacy of lighting and any additional measures to make the entrance stand out (such as banners, balloons and so forth) should be agreed with the police and MSDC in advance of an event (and/or the same lighting may be provided if previously agreed).

4. The Church (its staff, volunteers, agents or contractors) shall not attempt to enter or interfere with a space designated by the police for use by protesters whilst protesters are present within that space.

5. The Church (its staff, volunteers, agents or contractors) shall not obstruct (or attempt to obstruct) protesters from entering or exiting the area designated at any time by the police for their use.

6. The Church (including but not limited to its staff, volunteers, agents or contractors) shall not film or photograph protesters who remain within the space designated by the police for their use.

Voluntary Code of Conduct for the Church, its staff, agents and contractors (Mid-Sussex District Council)

Scientology last year applied for a PSPO, which would ban protesting outside their headquarters, telling BBC News in October 2024 “In cooperation with local officials, we have been working diligently to solve the problem of disruptive individuals periodically causing disturbances and endangering safety on Saint Hill Road in East Grinstead.”

No evidence exists of any anti-social behaviour or harassment taking place during the protests and on examining the footage and evidence supplied by both parties, it became clear that the road safety issues and disruption were caused primarily by Scientology’s event – which sees thousands of parishioners travelling from across Europe to hear reclusive leader Captain David Miscavige speak at an annual conference.

Despite their best efforts to restrict protestors’ rights by placing temporary planters, metal barriers and even installing a 130ft hedge and concealed fence along the public highway, Scientology will now have to abide by this strict code of conduct in order to protect the safety of their event attendees, passersby and protestors.

Last week we reported the unauthorised structures had been removed, but photographs show the roadside has been left in a dangerous and unsafe condition. A West Sussex Highways representative told us “I can confirm that discussions with the Church of Scientology regarding the removal of the remaining items at this location are still ongoing.”

Meanwhile the Church have applied for a ‘Legal Development Certificate’, claiming their construction of a giant 45,000 square foot temporary marquee to host their event does not require planning permission due to a lack of enforcement action over the years. Mid-Sussex District Council (MSDC) last year issued a Planning Contravention Notice, warning the Church they need to apply for planning permission in order to build the structure this year.

After reaching this agreement, MSDC officers will produce a report for elected members to vote on at an upcoming Cabinet meeting, at which point a decision will be made on whether or not to proceed with a protest ban. However in light of the voluntary code of conduct being adopted by both sides it is now unlikely Councillors will consider it necessary to implement a PSPO.

You can read the document in its entirety below.