Oban Airport may soon be the first UK base for an emerging and innovate industry to get medicine and meals to island and remote communities.
Argyll and Bute Council has had planning permission approved for a drone, also known as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), hub at the North Connel site.
The airport flies to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree, as well as receiving private aircraft from across the UK.
The hub will bring specialist jobs to the Oban area, and will lead the way in drone technology throughout the UK.
If built, it will improve the business offer of the airport – something that has long been in the sights of the council for development.
The local authority’s development plan shows the area around the airport is marked for business and industrial development.
The aim of the UAV hub is to establish a specialist base for drones to transport medicines, biological samples and cargo between the mainland and the region’s island communities.
Funding of £170,000 from the UK Government community renewal fund allowed Argyll and Bute Council to develop a business case and deliver a detailed planning application with full design and costings.
Hub would be a ‘huge boost’ for Argyll and Bute
This work also informed a bid to the UK Government’s levelling up fund and also work to progress the council’s £70 million rural growth deal.
The funding award led to the council teaming up in June with drone specialists Skyports to trial the use of UAVs for the delivery of school meals.
Flying from Oban Airport, the successful pilot involved flying freshly prepared meals between two schools about one mile apart in the town.
The leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Robin Currie, said: “Establishing the UK’s first UAV logistics hub in Oban would be a huge boost for Argyll and Bute in terms of creating highly valuable skilled jobs and providing skills training for future generations.
“We have seen first-hand how successful drone trails are delivering vital supplies and saving precious time for our remote and island communities.
“Planning approval takes us another highly significant step closer to creating a facility which has the potential to become a centre of excellence for this innovative technology.”
“Following approval of the planning application, the UK Government team responsible for delivering the community renewal fund visited Oban Airport on November 21 to discuss proposals for the hub in more detail.
Conversation