Isle of Wight drone trial could be game changer says Inteliports

Although plans are in the early stages, company Inteliports is hoping to partner with the Isle of Wight Council and use the Island as a test bed.

A six-month trial proposes launching a drone from a distribution hub in Fawley, 400ft in the air, five times a day, to Cowes.

Waiting to receive 'missions' would be a 20ft shipping container based at Mornington Road car park.

Inteliports CEO David Majoe (Image: IWCP)

If the project was to proceed beyond trial phase, there would be no more than nine deliveries a day and once on the Island, items would be distributed locally.

Stakeholders had the chance to quiz developers at an event at Building 41, Northwood last night (April 15).

Among the issues raised were whether the drones could handle windy conditions, the impact on wildlife and the environment and the benefit to the community.

There were also concerns as to whether the scheme could result in delivery drivers' jobs being lost.

Speaking to the County Press, David Park, chief of strategy for Inteliports, said it is not about replacing existing infrastructure, but instead about being "innovative" in an environmentally-friendly way.

He said there is currently a huge demand for same day deliveries, but that comes with more vans on the road and that isn't a good thing for the environment.

Inteliports presentation (Image: IWCP)

"How do we stop the number of vans on roads doubling?", he said.

"How bad is the problem going to get? It is not a pretty picture.

"Our mission is to build a scalable service that can integrate this net zero project in a commercial manner."

At the meeting, one resident raised concerns over the impact the drones could have on wildlife at Mornington Wood, which is based close to the car park.

Mr Parks said that is "something we would need to look into", as there isn't much historical data on drones and wildlife.

Meanwhile, he said Monday's high winds, which hit around 35mph, would have been "too much" for the drone.

Mr Parks said there was a still a "long journey" before the scheme becomes reality.

"Are we becoming an Amazon overnight? We want to take things a bit slower", he said.

Before plans proceed, further stakeholder consultations and public meetings are due to be held.