A decision on a planned drone delivery hub for Dundrum has been delayed after planning authorities requested further information on noise levels and how the operation might impact the ecology of the local area.
Drone delivery service Manna lodged plans with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in June for the aerial food delivery hub at a site off the main street of Dundrum in a car park to the rear of Holy Cross Church.
Founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Bobby Healy, Manna has developed aviation-grade drones that fly at 80km/h and deliver goods, including groceries, takeaways and medicines.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has asked the company to carry out a number of assessments before making a final decision on the plan. Among the additional information it has requested is a noise impact assessment addressing the take-off and landing of drones, idling and preflight checks, and any noise created by loading, unloading and associated ground support equipment.
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The company must also provide information about the proposed area and hours of operation, how many drones it expects to have in the air at once, and proposed flight heights.
The local authority has also requested various assessments to examine the potential ecological impact of the drone activity on local wildlife, including birds and bats, and a transport assessment to look at the volume of ground traffic and trips that might be needed to serve the proposed aerial delivery hub.
Manna has six months to submit the additional information.
The application for the Dundrum hub has encountered significant local opposition, with a number of objections lodged to the plans. Local residents have raised concerns about noise, citing recent reports from a group of residents in Blanchardstown where Manna operates a drone service, the impact on privacy and potential safety concerns from low-flying drones.
Manna drones are equipped with cameras that the company says are activated only when the drone arrives at its delivery location and hovers 14 metres above the ground, to ensure that the delivery area is free from obstacles.
A similar proposal for Tallaght, located off the Main Street at the area’s new Priory Market, has also been subject to a request for further information from that local authority.
South Dublin County Council is seeking a noise impact assessment, and has also requested further evaluation of how the proposed delivery hub would impact on operations at Baldonnel, and the air ambulance service at the nearby Tallaght Hospital.
“As previously noted, our plans to fly in Dundrum are not imminent and we will be providing all the information requested by the planning authorities,” said Kevin Houston, head of regulation at Manna. “We have also engaged with local representatives to talk about the benefits UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] can bring to main street businesses, local residents, and in terms of reducing traffic.
“We engage with local authorities for each site as advised as appropriate by our external planning consultants and within the scope of the 2001 Planning Act, as can be seen by our Blanchardstown base and application in Tallaght.”
Manna’s activity is regulated by the Irish Aviation Authority and any safety incidents are investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Unit.
The company has completed more than 170,000 deliveries in Ireland to date, with three unplanned controlled landings recorded. It delivers to 37,000 households in Blanchardstown, with around 150 complaints made to the company since it began operating in the area around 18 months ago.
Manna has pushed back against the complaints, noting its safety record, and expressions of support from more than 2,000 users in the Dublin 15 area, including a letter of support sent to public representatives signed by more than 400 residents.
“The majority of people in Dublin 15 have used the service and we have been delighted with the 2,268 positive messages in-app and via our letter of support we have received in the area,” said Mr Houston.
