Ethics aside, gear precedents don't matter here. The BMC access team have a good idea what is in place and what would be problematic. Contact us! This area has every conservation designation under the sun, which means any work carried out needs prior approval from Natural England. The landowner has to do this for all sorts of work, they therefore cannot allow, or even turn a blind eye to, the use of power drills as climbers see fit. As noted above, this is not to say it won't be allowed - if it is agreed first and the rationale is clear it often will be. But unauthorised drilling will be viewed very dimly indeed.
These requirements exist elsewhere, and climbers have often got away with ignoring them. But that isn't a trend that is going to continue, and this is one location where it absolutely can't. As I said above, look at
what has happening in the US. Broadly, climbing activity is generally fine with most conservation landowners. But bolt placement generally isn't, and often they have a legal requirement to manage it. If we can't show that we can behave by the rules, the rules will be both tightened and enforced.
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