DLR wants say in future of Irish drone regulation

Dún Laoghaire councillors want to have a say in the future of drone regulation in Ireland.

At this month’s meeting of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council, the council passed a Green Party motion which will see the council write to the Irish Aviation Authority.

The council will write to the IAA, and ask for input into the development of drone technology on the Southside.

In recent months, Dundrum has been proposed as a potential drone delivery hub, but not without objections from local residents and elected representatives.

In August, Fianna Fáil TD Shay Brennan said that while he wasn’t opposed drone delivery services in principle, he expressed concerns about the legal elements of drone operations.

“I fully support innovation, and I want to see Irish companies thrive, but we cannot allow drone delivery hubs to pop up unchecked, without listening to those who will be most affected. We need a clear plan that protects our community’s peace, privacy, and safety,” he said at the time.

He said that without proper safeguards, drone delivery could bring constant noise from low-flying devices over homes, schools, and community spaces; invade the privacy of residents as drones pass over gardens and properties; and create safety risks in areas not designed for such activity, all while regulation struggles to keep up.

“This is a fast-moving industry, and that’s why it’s vital we have transparent processes where residents can have their voices heard. I’m calling for a formal public consultation so we can shape solutions that work for both business and community.”

Green councillor Robert Jones, who also serves as the party’s spokesperson on enterprise, said “our council needs to put our hand up and ensure that the Irish Aviation Authority and the Department of Transport know that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown want to be one of the local authorities at the forefront in developing national policy in this area and feeding into the promised regulation in this space.”

The Dundrum councillor noted that EU law, Ireland is required to designate what are known as ‘U-space’ areas – controlled airspace designed specifically for drones.

U-Space areas, he noted, are meant to balance innovation with safety, privacy and noise management. 

In practice, per Jones, U-Space areas risk being drawn up with minimal local input, allowing commercial drone operators broad access to suburban and urban airspace without the consent or protection of the communities beneath them.

“This goes to the heart of an issue that has caused genuine and growing anxiety in my own community in Dundrum, the potential arrival of commercial drone deliveries over residential areas, without any meaningful regulation of key issues of concern, consultation, or assessment of their impact on quality of life,” he said.

“It is my view that the government’s new Unmanned Aircraft System Policy Framework is not a balanced or community-led document. It is a policy drafted with the priorities of the industry in mind, particularly those in the commercial delivery sector. It gives the appearance of innovation while neglecting the social and environmental consequences of the technology it enables.”

Green leader Roderic O’Gorman criticised the framework at the time, remarking, “it reads more like a glossy roadmap for industry growth, and it fails to address the pressing concerns that residents have raised with me.”

“While the document lists the concerns that residents express about noise, it makes no clear proposals for how noise from these machines should be regulated, nor any timeframe within which these regulations could be in place.”

O’Gorman noted that the framework makes mention of how urban and regional planning should take drones into account, but the same framework goes on to contradict itself by saying “this should allow for planning for availing of the opportunities that drone technology can bring to local communities and for how to take local concerns on board”.

Independent councillor Anne Colgan, also of the Dundrum constituency, said that commercial drones are a “pretty serious issue of concern” on both the Northside and Southside.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, who published the new framework surrounding drones in August, said the policy “presents exciting opportunities for business and the public sector to boost productivity and improve service provision”

“They can also create high-tech jobs and boost the economy across Ireland. At the same time, I am aware that the rapid pace of expansion of UAS operations has resulted in challenges and generated real concerns and uncertainty among communities.”

The planned legislation would establish a working group which would develop processes and procedures surrounding the integration of drones into Irish airspace, as well as taking environmental and social impact into account.

Under the legislation, the Department of Transport would have the power to introduce fixed charge offences for the infringements related to aviation, civil and criminal law, which looks to dampen fears surrounding privacy.

Gardaí, the Irish Aviation Authority and the Data Protection Commission will also work together to ensure that the legislation is being properly enforced. 

Councillor Colgan questioned Minister O’Brien’s sincerity when it comes to community concerns, however.

“It’s really important – we are the people who represent the interests of the local public, and we should be represented at both an executive and a members level.”

The next step of the drone legislative process relates to geography, and Colgan said that the public should have more of a say in the geographic element of drone-related legislation than they did in the first round of consultations.

Fine Gael councillor Kazi Ahmed noted there are benefits to drone technology, but it has the potential to impact on both privacy and the safety of private citizens.

The Glencullen-Sandyford councillor said that, as it stands, they were discussing the usage of drones in a commercial context (the most pressing issue related to drone technology in Ireland right now concerns drone delivery services), but Ahmed said that any future legislation surrounding drone usage should concern a wider range of topics, namely privacy and safety.

Labour councillor Lettie McCarthy questioned whether DLR’s biodiversity and environmental officers are involved in the process, pointing to a common complaint about drone technology; in Dublin 15, residents have regularly complained that drone delivery services are disrupting what were once peaceful landscapes.

McCarthy said that drone technology has the potential to impact on local environmental issues, such as bat nests.

The Glencullen-Sandyford councillor also asked if air traffic control would be monitoring the drones, or would the responsibility fall under the remit of the Department of Transport itself.

Council executive Frank Curran noted that the Irish Aviation Authority would have responsibility over the drones, and that the council’s biodiversity and environmental departments would also be involved in any legislative process.