Darlington has been chosen as the proposed site from which Amazon hopes to begin launching drone deliveries in the UK.
The US tech giant said it was now lodging planning applications with the local authority and was seeking clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the drone-based delivery service, which is known as Prime Air.
Prime Air has so far launched in two locations in the US and delivers packages in 60 minutes or less using a fleet of Amazon-designed, built and operated drones.
“We are ready and excited to make drone delivery a reality for our UK customers. We have built safe and reliable drone delivery services elsewhere in the world in close partnership with regulators and the communities we serve, and we are working to do the same in the UK,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
“We are announcing that Prime Air is taking steps to start planning for initial flights from our fulfilment centre in Darlington.
“While there is still much work to do, this is an exciting step forward. A planning application will be lodged with the local authority which will seek permission to build our flight operations facilities at the site, along with applying for authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly a drone in the airspace.
“Once those agreements are in place, we will be able to begin hiring team members to launch drone delivery.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the CAA as they develop the regulatory framework to make commercial drone delivery a reality in the UK.
“You can find out more about our plans for drone delivery by visiting an event at the Central Hall, in the Dolphin Centre, on February 5, from 1pm until 7pm.”
Amazon said the service will be optional in its catchment area, and customers who are eligible will be given the opportunity to sign up through their existing Amazon account.
The company said it did not have a timeframe on when the service could launch.
“We have nothing more to share (on timeframe) at this time, but we will engage with the community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new option for delivery,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Amazon has been developing drone delivery systems for a number of years and has previously tested drone deliveries in the UK – it made the first autonomous Prime Air delivery in Cambridgeshire in 2016 during a trial.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen welcomed the announcement, saying: “We are grabbing the opportunities and the optimism of the tech revolution – so it’s no surprise that Amazon has chosen Darlington as the location to launch Prime Air in the UK.
“We have worked tirelessly with Amazon to bring this UK first to Teesside which will support high-quality jobs, deliver vital multi-million-pound investment in our local economy and drive growth across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”
