Drone Delivery Hub Proposal in Dundrum Slammed as “Premature, Risk-Laden, and Out of Sync with Public Interest”
- Robert Jones
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
Key Objection Highlights:
No National Policy in Place: The Minister for Transport has confirmed that a national drone strategy is still under development, making any commercial drone port approval premature and potentially precedent-setting in a regulatory vacuum.
Noise, Privacy, and Safety Risks: The proposed site is surrounded by schools, care homes, public parks, and dense housing. Drones flying repeatedly over these areas could degrade public amenity, infringe on privacy, and pose unassessed safety risks.
No Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): The developer has failed to provide baseline noise data, ecological impact studies, or cumulative environmental analysis—a glaring omission given the likely disruptive impact on urban wildlife and human health.
Absence of Public Consultation: The application has bypassed meaningful public engagement, raising concern that corporate innovation is being privileged over public scrutiny and community well-being.
Local Policy Overridden: The plan contradicts Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s unanimous call for a local Drone and Air Mobility Strategy, passed earlier this year, and undermines efforts to ensure safe, equitable drone integration.
Cllr. Robert Jones Statement:
“This drone port plan is a textbook case of big business first, people-later. Planners are being asked to greenlight low-altitude air traffic over schools, parks, and homes without national policy, without environmental scrutiny, and without community buy-in. It’s reckless, undemocratic, and incompatible with the council’s own commitment to develop a drone strategy grounded in safety, privacy, and environmental responsibility.”
Call to Refuse Permission
Cllr. Jones is urging the Planning Authority to refuse permission for the proposal until:
The national drone framework is formally adopted;
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown’s local drone strategy is completed;
Comprehensive environmental, safety, and privacy assessments are conducted;
Genuine public consultation takes place.
If approved, he insists strict conditions must be attached, including:
Noise limits (≤55 dB Lden), operational time windows (8am–8pm), privacy protections, wildlife safeguards, and temporary 2-year approval only.
Why It Matters:
With drone technology rapidly advancing, this decision will set the tone for how Ireland balances innovation with public interest. For Dundrum, the question is stark: Do we become a testing ground for unregulated drone delivery, or do we get the rules right first?
