Rules on installation of drone food-delivery bases in Dublin remain in dispute

Last Thursday, Linden Ferris was behind the counter at his food truck, Lindough’s, at Junction 6 in Blanchardstown.

He’s selling pizza. Pepperoni. “Linduja” and honey. Ham and pineapple.

This shopping centre sits in the middle of a roundabout off the M50 junction of the same name. It has a few fast food places and a gym.

Just a few feet away from this food truck in the shopping centre’s car park, there’s a fence, and behind that, a drone launchpad operated by the delivery service Manna.

It’s been a major source of business, delivering 70 to 100 pizzas on the weekends, when Lindough’s gets most of its orders, Ferris says.

“It’s a great marketing tool for me to get my pizzas around the Dublin 15 area,” he says.

But last August, Fingal County Council sent a letter to the property owner, Propotron Limited, saying they’d heard there might be “unauthorised development” on the property.

Specifically, “The installation of infrastructure for the purpose of launching and landing unmanned aerial vehicles without the benefit of planning permission.”

This is just the latest skirmish between Manna (by proxy), which is a global leader in its field, and the local planning authorities as it expands its service across Dublin.

Neither the Dublin City Development Plan nor the Fingal County Development plan limit, through land zoning, where Manna drone bases can be installed. And there appears to be disagreement over whether these bases need planning permission.

Since the business is starting in Dublin 15, ahead of plans to roll it out much further, “I think we have the onus is on us to try and get it right,” says Fine Gael Councillor Ted Leddy.

Precednts

The most direct precedents for what Manna is doing at its base at Junction 6 come from its own history.

In 2023, a property owner at the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre applied for and got planning permission for the installation of an “aerial delivery hub with 3no. single storey office cabins (75m2) with perimeter fencing and all associated site works and services”

It’s right next to the McDonald’s and other restaurants there, and Manna’s been delivering from that hub since.

Last year, another Manna drone base was installed behind the Clonsilla Inn. A fence, a shipping container maybe for an office, and launch pads laid on the ground.

The owner of the Clonsilla Inn, Archpool Taverns Limited was issued this enforcement notice in June, and given two months to remove the landing pads.

This notice told them that the placing of a storage container and associated signage on the property constituted unauthorised development.

The operation of a food delivery business in the car park was also considered a material change of use, the notice said.

And the installation of a drone landing pads was considered a development, which wasn’t exempt under planning regulations, it said.

Now comes Junction 6. Again, the launch site is very simple compared to the high-tech concept of the operation.

The drones launch from a small enclosed section of the parking lot in the shopping centre, blocked off with metal fences and shipping containers.

Inside there’s three black rubber mats, 4–6 m², and traffic cones scattered about. What stands out are clearly the drones, sleek and low, and able to carry up to 4kg.

There does not appear to have been any planning application or permission for the change of use to a drone base, or the small physical changes to the site to install it.

There should have been, says Labour Councillor John Walsh. “Generally, new structures require planning permission,” he said. “There’s also the issue that the introduction of a drone delivery service should be considered a change of use. And again, that should require planning.”

In response to a query about the need for planning permission for its drone bases, a Manna spokesperson said, “Where we erect new structures we apply for permission as evidenced in Blanchardstown and Tallaght.”

Enforcement

The warning letter the council sent to Propotron in August about the Junction 6 drone base would have indicated there was an investigation, said Walsh, the Labour councillor.

“So when a warning letter is issued, the person who gets the warning gets at least four weeks to respond,” Walsh said.

“Then there are site visits. Site visits have to be conducted by a planning inspector, and then a report is made to a senior planner, and it’s only at that stage that the council can consider issuing an enforcement notice,” he said.

The letter was sent in August, and the council hasn’t issued any enforcement notice yet, Walsh said.

So Walsh brought up the lack of planning permission again for drone launchpads at Junction 6 at a meeting of Fingal County Council’s Blanchardstown local area committee on 3 April.

The response he got back from the council was that, “Following an investigation including numerous site visits, the file is currently with the Senior Executive Planner for review in relation to a decision on matters at this location.”

On 9 April, Propotron put in a planning application to the council, for a bunch of things at Junction 6.

“The aim of this application is to address issues relating to unauthorised development raised in warning letter no. 24/176” the one sent in August about the drone base, said a cover letter with the application.

Divided opinion

By phone on 21 April, Walsh said he brought it up because the drones are the biggest concern raised with him from his constituents – along with housing issues and education, which are nationwide crises.

“I’ve had a huge volume of complaints about the impact of the drone delivery service,” Walsh said.

“I think people aren’t unreasonable, but they want to ensure that drones don’t have unrestricted use of the skies,” he said. “In other words, that the skies are simply not taken over by drones in such a way that if it impacts on people’s quality of life in a detrimental way.”

Finn Gael Councillor Ted Leddy on 22 April said the topic is grey. He too has heard from residents about noise complaints. He’s also heard praise.

“Some people think it’s good. It’s a good business and a good service. Other people don’t like it: because of the noise and the intrusion,” Leddy said.

The rules, Leddy says, for the installation and operation of the drone hubs are still unclear, on both the local and national levels.

“We need to clear it up, because I think the business is essentially good – I know, I know it divides opinion,” he said.