East Suffolk Council
Coastal monitoring by drone
As part of the Resilient Coasts project, East Suffolk Council (ESC) has purchased a fleet of drones, including a M350 LiDAR drone, to allow increased monitoring of the ESC frontage.
When visiting the coast you may see a ESC officer flying a drone. If so, please stay back and provide space until the drone flight is over and the pilot invites you to ask any questions.
All ESC flights follow the Civil Aviation Authority UK Drone code with the following measures in place, if needed:
- Operator ID and Flyer ID.
- Airspace clearence.
- Preflight drone check.
- Any required insurance.
When flying the M350 LiDAR, the following will be adhered to:
- During flight, the drone will be flown 50 metres from the public at all times and 30 metres during take-off and landing.
- The drone can be flown within 150 metres of residential and commercial properties.
- The pilot will have the drone operations manual (UKPDRA01) with them at all times.
- The drone will fly no higher than 120 metres.
- The pilot will maintain visual line of sight to the drone at all times.
The fleet of drones were purchased through the Resilient Coasts project, an £8.4 million project led by East Suffolk Council in partnership with Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Resilient Coasts is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.