Drone deliveries look set to come to another Dublin suburb after planning permission for an aerial hub in Tallaght linked to Manna Aero was lodged with South Dublin County Council.
It is understood the drone delivery company founded by Bobby Healy has been in talks to run the aerial hub which would be located at the new Priory Market in Tallaght Village. Sources close to the project confirmed there had been discussions with Manna, and that it would operate the hub if it was approved. The application for the hub included Manna’s operator certificate and IAA authorisation.
Billing itself as Ireland’s first full indoor food and beverage market, Priory Market will offer a range of artisan food with up to 14 operators that include Afro Caribbean, South African and Lebanese businesses. It will also have its own roastery, on-site brewery with the country’s first tank bar, as well as a venue for events and a 100-seater theatre.
Located at a building owned by social enterprise group Partas just off the village’s Main Street, the market received planning permission last February and is expected to open in May.
John Kearns, chief executive of Partas, said it would give the operators at the market another option for delivery to customers. “We’re making it available,” he said. “For each food vendor it’s really up to them if they want to use Deliveroo or Just Eat or Manna. It’s their arrangement, we’re just facilitating with the space.”
Mr Kearns said the new market had the potential to transform Tallaght.
Manna did not comment specifically on the plans which are due to be decided by the end of February.
“We have ambitious plans to expand beyond the communities we have served so far in Dublin and beyond,” the company said. “While we don’t comment on specific cases where we don’t have full permission in place as yet, we’re looking forward to engaging with local stakeholders and independent businesses to explore opportunities for bringing safer, greener, and more efficient delivery to more communities in Ireland and beyond, creating jobs in these areas and helping local businesses to access their customers.”
Founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Bobby Healy, Manna has developed aviation-grade drones that fly at 80km/h and deliver goods, including groceries, takeaways and medicines, within a 3km-radius in less than three minutes. A single aircraft can do 100 deliveries a day, with up to 20 aircraft capable of being remotely managed by one Manna employee.
The company began with a trial of the drone delivery services in Oranmore, Co Galway, before expanding to the Co Dublin town of Balbriggan. It has since opened an aerial hub in Blanchardstown, and carries out 400 to 500 deliveries a day.
It is also involved in a potential pilot project that could see life-saving cardiac equipment delivered via drone more quickly to patients who suffer heart attacks at home.
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