DRONE DELIVERY COMPANY Manna has been refused permission to retain a delivery hub near the M50.

Manna began operating in Ireland last year and provides a drone delivery service for food, beverages and other items to residents in Dublin 15.

The unmanned devices fly to an Eircode provided by customers and delivers goods on a string.

The decision by Fingal County Council to refuse planning retention relates to Manna’s drone delivery hub near junction 6 on the M50.

The development consists of an aerial delivery hub, as well the use of an existing switch room as a store and charging area, and boundary treatments in the form of perimeter metal fencing.

The decision to refuse retention of the development has no impact on Manna’s delivery hub at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre.

It’s understood that Manna will appeal the decision to refuse permission for retention at the site near the M50 to An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The site had been hit with a planning enforcement notice by Fingal County Council in July due to alleged breaches of the planning code.

Last month, Manna applied to Fingal County Council to retain permission for the development “out of an abundance of caution”.

In its decision, Fingal County Council said  “insufficient details” had been submitted regarding noise impacts from the drone operations.

The County Council added: “In the absence of robust evidence, it has not been comprehensively demonstrated that the development does not result in serious noise pollution.”

The Council also remarked that the site in question is zoned “High Technology”.

This means the objective is to “provide for technology/high technology manufacturing type employment in a high quality built and landscaped environment’”.

It added that the zoning “is aimed at providing a location for high end, high-quality, value-added businesses and corporate headquarters” with an “emphasis on exemplary sustainable design and aesthetic quality”.

Fingal County Council deemed that the Manna development is “incompatible” with these zoning restrictions and that allowing it would “set an inappropriate precedent for other similar forms of development”.

Meanwhile, the Council also took issue with the boundary, which consists of steel fencing and shipping container doors.

It said the development is “visually incongruous, substandard and is a form of visual clutter which poorly subsumes into the visual amenity of the Junction 6 site”.

However, Manna said its Junction 6 site consisted of “two rubber mats”.

A spokesperson said Manna has “removed the two rubber mats that formed its Junction 6 site and will be considering appealing the decision”.

The spokesperson added that Manna operated the drone delivery service “from two parking spaces within a 350-space car park at the intersection of the M50 and N3, alongside a number of other local businesses”.

Manna said it has received support by residents during the planning process and that these supportive messages will be sent to local representatives.

The spokesperson said Manna will still be able to serve customers in Dublin 15.

It has been used close to 50,000 times by over 40 local businesses.

The spokesperson added that “50 of the company’s 160 employees live in the area and are part of the local community”.

Meanwhile, Manna said its operations are “directly aligned” with the objectives of the High Technology zoning and that it “promotes high-value employment and the continued advancement of Ireland’s high-tech sector”.

“At a time when Ireland needs to be pro-jobs, pro-accessibility, pro-lower-emissions and pro-small-business, supporting responsible innovation like this should be straightforward,” said Manna.

It added that “each flight reduces traffic, lowers emissions and improves local access”.

“Asking an already stretched planning system to determine the placement of two small landing mats could add complexity to a process designed for large-scale infrastructure.”