THE nature of Reading Borough Council’s involvement in a trial of a drone superhighway has been questioned.
Earlier this year, Project Skyway was launched by Reading-based firm Altitude Angel, using funding from BT, and uses the technology to assess maintenance needs and inspect damage to infrastructure such as power lines and railway tracks.
At the policy committee meeting of Reading Borough Council on Monday, September 25, the leader of the opposition, Cllr Rob White, asked for details about the council’s involvement.
“BT is said to have invested £5 million in the project and its website lists one of its partners as Reading Borough Council,” he said. “Residents are understandably confused and concerned and are scared that plans that affect them are being made behind closed doors.
“Can the lead councillor responsible give us any information on the council’s plans for drone flights above Reading?”
The question was answered by Cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote), lead councillor for climate strategy and transport.
“The council has partnered in Project Skyway for the very reasons that Cllr White has raised concerns,” he said.
“Drone and beyond the line-of-sight technology and regulation thereof is emerging and without engagement from local authorities, without council engagement and local placemaking and regulation risks missing out on scrutiny and expertise as well as engagement with residents.
“The council, along with Oxfordshire County Council and Coventry City Council, are partnering to provide advice on the application of the technology across the originally scoped superhighway flightpath, which starts outside the borough boundary and up to Coventry.
“While the superhighway is the focus of elements of the commercial case for the project current proposals for drone flights within the borough are highly limited in scope and scale and would be subject to consideration on a case-by-case basis.”
Project Skyway is being supported by Innovate UK, the national innovation agency, which itself runs the Future Flight Challenge to capitalise on the opportunities that drones and other emerging technologies present.
Cllr Ennis said: “Officers are engaging with the Future Flight project team to provide advice as part of regular workstreams and recently conducted two focus groups with residents which forms part of the feedback into the project team.”
And, he added, Thames Valley Police and other commercial drone operators conduct regular flights above the town.
Cllr White (Green, Park) asked for clarity on the route drones in the project would take over the town, but Cllr Ennis responded that this information could only be provided in a detailed response submitted through the ‘councillors enquiries’ procedure.
