There wasn’t a pub big enough in south Dublin to fit the number of locals interested in giving their input on planned drone deliveries from Dundrum by Irish company Manna, said Shay Brennan, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Rathdown, in a packed Taney Parish Centre on Wednesday night.
Local residents gathered to air concerns around noise disruption caused by the Manna drones, the lack of regulation for the sector, and the possibility of jammed drones falling from the sky.
“We have seen the destruction that drones have caused in Ukraine; if the only alternative use for drones is the delivery of convenience goods, then you can keep your drones as far as I’m concerned,” said local resident and chair of Finsbury Park Residents, Tim Geraghty said, to loud applause.
Referring to estimates put forward by Mr Brennan on future proliferation of drone flights, Mr Geraghty said, “That does not have to be the case.”
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“Don’t forget, Ireland was the first country in the world to have a [workplace] no-smoking policy – we can also be the first country to say no drones,” he added.
The meeting was called in response to a planning permission application submitted by Manna Drones Limited for the construction of an aerial delivery hub behind the Holy Cross Church on Main Street in Dundrum.
A decision in the case was due on August 5th, with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council requesting further information on the application following “hundreds” of public observations on the plan.
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At the meeting, Mr Brennan highlighted the publication of the framework for regulation of the drone sector, which he said had a “balanced” approach to both local concerns and the enablement of innovation.
Bobby Healy, the founder and chief executive of drone delivery service Manna, said there were plans for the operation of two drones. He said they would fly 80 metres in the air (250 feet) above homes before descending to a height of 15 metres above a delivery location and lowering a product to the ground.
He said the process was “safe and effective”, but acknowledged there are “two big elephants in the room” – privacy and noise issues.
“I won’t baffle you with science, or try to excuse the fact that drones do make a noise,” he said in his opening remarks to the crowd. However, he said the noise would be “far less than you are already hearing from road traffic”.
“The level of noise while cruising is 59 decibels”, Mr Healy said of the drones, adding that new drone propellers the company is seeking to introduce soon would reduce that volume to 56 decibels, which he likened to the level of a passing car.
Mr Healy said Manna already works with 47 businesses in Dublin 15, where it operates among other locations, and he urged residents at the meeting not to dismiss the voice of people who use it. “Everybody is using the service in Dublin 15,” he claimed.
Tony, a participant from Dundrum who did not give his surname, disagreed with Manna’s characterisation of the drones’ noise. He said, at a distance of 15m from the ground, “If it was quiet, you’d have no problem flying it in here,” pointing at the ceiling.
“We’d know all about it if it was flying over our heads in here,” he said, calling on Mr Healy to ensure the noise report requested by the business was done by an independent party.
Cian White, a young local resident, stood in support of the introduction of the service.
“I see Manna as an interesting tech company going up against the likes of Google and Amazon creating cool new jobs in our area,” he said, decrying the use of objections in the planning system to stop developments in the area.
He described those present in the room as being “65-plus”, and noted his generation was more supportive of the technology.
Seamus Doyle, a resident of Dublin 15, where the Manna delivery operation has been running, highlighted the impact the drones have had on him.
“I did have a back garden,” he said, noting that the peace he once had in his garden “is now gone”, lost to the “drones above your head”.
Mr Doyle said drone flights had been introduced in a “wild west” manner, and welcomed the introduction of the newly published framework for the devices.
Msgr Paul Callan of the Holy Cross Parish raised concerns about the location of the drone delivery site planned for Dundrum, describing it as in “complete contrast to the nature of the church”. For users of the church, he said the noise would be a constant.
Rev Nigel Pierpoint, rector of the Taney Parish, Dundrum, was also concerned: “When you are dealing with a family, particularly on the day of a funeral, you could hear drones flying overhead. It is a difficult day as it is, without this added complication.”
While Manna said it would refrain from operating during the hours of funerals, Rev Pierpoint said having to contact the company for every funeral is “not really practical”.
“You are dealing with families in very distressed states and that is where your focus is, it is not on ‘Oh I must remember to ring the drone company’.”
He said this concern was shared by other churches in the area.
Speaking to The Irish Times following the event, Mr Healy said the reception at the event was “perfectly normal”.
“It stems from a lack of information available and the perception of a lack of regulation,” he said.
“The vast majority of people don’t object to us, they’re in favour of business, but there is a small minority that is really against it and you heard them here tonight.”
