COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTON/NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

MOTION NO. 5

MOTION: Councillor L. O'Toole

That this Committee require that the Chief Executive agrees to the use of drone footage for the purpose of recoding major developments starting with the Adamstown SDZ to allow members of the public the opportunity to see progress and to be informed of the development to date and highlighting particular pieces of infrastructure and amenities. This could then be used for future projects in the county.

REPORT:

The Planning Section has recently purchased a drone and has obtained a Specific Operating Permission (SOP) from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). Two staff have been trained in its use and the capability exists to produce ortho photography (aerial photographs geometrically corrected to make the scale uniform). With respect to this, mapping tests have been carried out on a site in Newcastle in the last few weeks. As the current drone is specifically for mapping, it is envisaged that we may invest in a drone more suitable for video and oblique photography in the coming year.

SDCC contains two Aerodromes and one protected helipad and is also substantially covered by Dublin Air traffic Control (ATC) region. Permissions from Dublin ATC and Casement Aerodrome have to be obtained for each drone flight, while suitable weather is also required. There are also safety and privacy concerns that need to be catered for with each individual flight which involves a site survey to identify and mitigate hazards, completion of various forms, acquisition of permit, permission of landowner for take-off and notification of local residents (generally through use of signage).

Only two staff are currently trained, so there is a need to get more people certified to cover workloads and holidays, etc. There is also an IT capability issue – sites tested so far have been small in size; improved computing power will be required for photographing more substantial sites.

It is agreed that taking drone footage of major development sites would add a useful layer of information for both staff and Members of SDCC and for purposes of public relations and community engagement. In this regard, we are currently examining the potential of capturing sections of Adamstown in the New Year, weather and permissions allowing. However, we are currently at an exploratory stage and require other issues to be resolved such as IT capability, staff training, etc. before we will be in a position to make full use of drone technology.