Local Labour councillor John Walsh has launched a petition calling for commercial drones to be regulated.
In recent weeks, local TDs such as Ruth Coppinger and Roderic O’Gorman have raised the issue in the Dáil.
Now, the Castleknock councillor is calling on local residents to sign his petition, which calls for the Irish Aviation Authority to properly regulate drone deliveries.
The petition reads, “residents in Dublin West are raising serious concerns about the new drone delivery service – from constant noise to invasion of privacy. It’s not about banning; it’s about regulation.”
The petition calls for drone flights to follow established routes only, introduce an independent noise monitoring system to make sure drones aren’t exceeding noise limits, and for a stop to an expansion of drone delivery services until the objectives are met.
Walsh said, “communities in Dublin 15 are currently experiencing the unrestricted expansion of a drone delivery service which is not adequately regulated either at local or national level.”
“The government is taking a do-nothing approach, while the Irish Aviation Authority has approved this service without any framework to protect residential areas.”
Walsh said that a major loophole now exists, and the IAA “has made clear it has no role in addressing nuisance to residents or safeguarding quality of life.”
The Labour councillor said “right now, residents are dealing with excessive noise, unrestricted daily flights, and no oversight on how often these drones can operate.”
“The reality is that drones are now flying over family homes every day with no national guidance, inadequate privacy safeguards, and no restriction on the frequency of flights. Two of the three drone bases operating in Dublin 15 were set up without any planning permission at all. One in Clonsilla, another at Junction 6.”
He stated, “this is not just a technical issue; planning process exists to protect the rights of residents and to allow communities to be consulted,” and said he has written to Fingal County Council to demand full enforcement of planning laws when it comes to drone infrastructure.
“There are serious questions around noise and invasion of privacy. The speed at which this drone service is expanding, with no legal safeguards, is staggering and it could soon reach up to 300 deliveries a day. The government must act now to introduce consistent, transparent regulation of drone technology and protect our communities.”
Walsh said he was working with fellow Dublin 15 Labour councillor Mary McCamley on the issue, and both councillors are calling for the Minister for Transport to intervene in the case.
“We are calling on the government to step up, regulate this sector properly, and make sure our communities are heard,” he stated.