Councillor welcomes Amazon drone delivery plans

A councillor has welcomed Amazon's plans for a town to become the first in the UK to offer deliveries by drone.

Darlington Borough Council's deputy leader Chris McEwan said there was a "long journey to travel" but described proposals as "quite interesting and exciting".

He also said he understood apprehension around the potential impact on delivery jobs, but said "significant opportunities" were available within Amazon and across Darlington.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Amazon's plans are at a very early stage and will be subject to the same approval process of any commercial development."

McEwan, who is also the council's lead for economy, said: "This isn't going to be happening tomorrow as we rightly need to go through a rigorous process.

"There are a lot of approvals and consultations to go through to understand how and where it will work."

Amazon has a fulfilment centre on the outskirts of the town. It still needs clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to use the airspace.

It has been chosen by the regulator to take part in new trials, along with five other organisations, to expand the use of drones in the UK.

McEwan said the Labour-led council expected to receive more details of the online giant's plans and its timetable over the course of "the next couple of weeks".

He said the proposals helped to cement Darlington's reputation for being "at the forefront for many things", but outstanding questions could not be addressed immediately.

"It's very early days, we need to see the detail and understand the lessons from the United States," he added.

Test drone deliveries in a couple of states saw Amazon deliver free items, such as cans of soup, to driveways.

The proposals were met with a mixed reaction when BBC Tees spoke to people in Darlington town centre.

Ann Gend said she embraced new technology and would welcome the drone deliveries providing Amazon was "sensitive to the people in the area and the people who work for them".

"If it's quicker and more accurate, I'm up for a trial, it's the only way to go," she said.

Danny Dixon said he would prefer to rely on local shops when he needed items in a hurry.

"I'd rather actual people do the job," he said.

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