Residents 'relieved' as hospital drone plan pulled

The trust had said moving drugs by drones is faster and more environmentally friendly

Residents near the proposed site of a drone medicine transport hub said they are "over the moon" that the plans have been withdrawn.

The hub, near Seghill and Northumbria Hospital in Cramlington, was earmarked to deliver medical supplies to NHS sites across Northumberland.

An application attracted hundreds of objections and Andrew Edmunds, spokesman for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said people had been "listened to" before the decision was made.

Andrew Maville, who lives at Middle Farm close to the site, said he was "delighted and relieved".

Mr Edmonds said the healthcare trust would continue to look for alternative sites.

Many of the objections were over concerns about the impact of drones on a bridleway and wildlife

Mr Maville said the withdrawal had come "out of the blue".

"When we went along to the public consultation session, it seemed very likely they were going to go ahead," he said.

He had raised concerns about the impact on a nearby bridleway and wildlife.

Another resident of Middle Farm, Steven Bradley, said: "We do feel they listened to us, and that’s really encouraging because sometimes you feel like these consultations are a tick box exercise."

Feona Bowey, a representative of Cramlington Town Council, said she was "over the moon".

"Up to 80 drones a day would have flown over my home and over East Cramlington Nature Reserve so it's just such good news they are looking for another site," she added.

Residents of the Middle Farm area feared the plan would increase traffic

Mr Edmonds of the healthcare trust added: "We made a commitment that we would listen to people, and we have done that as part of this decision," he said.

"It is clear that there is also a great deal of support from the community and stakeholders to bring drones to Northumbria.

"We believe that the use of drones will improve some of the healthcare services we provide in North Tyneside and Northumberland."