Drone testing centre opens at Wescott Venture Park
A new Drone Test and Development Centre has opened at Westcott Venture Park.
The project, which is funded by the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership, can get underway after PATRIZIA Hanover Property Unit Trust, the owner of the park, agreed a lease with the Satellite Applications Catapult.
It features three workshops where firms can design, build, test and fly the drones, with capability to support Beyond Visual Line of Site (BVLOS) which will be necessary to operate drones safely in the UK’s national airspace.
A former Royal Air Force runway at the site will allow for horizontal take-off, while four dedicated landing pads will be used for vertical, or vertical to horizontal take-off – facilities which are of particular use due to restrictions on drone operations.
Nigel MacKenzie, Development Manager at Westcott said: “We are thrilled to support this innovative project bringing yet another heritage area of the site back into use and extending the test capabilities at Westcott into the exciting field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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“Westcott is already home to a number of pioneering drone testing companies and these new facilities will benefit existing onsite occupiers as well as attracting new operators to the site. This will further enhance the ever-growing ecosystem of technology companies at Westcott and allow them to work collaboratively to undertake research and development of market-leading aviation technologies and services.”
Kieran Arnold, Chief Architect of Future Networks and Systems at Satellite Applications Catapult, said: “The UK is fairly limited on what we call a “segregated facility”. A lot of drone operations are either done from general aviation airfields, or from farmer's fields, with no facilities whatsoever. The Catapult’s new facility will provide drone companies with a purpose-built, secure environment, which segregates them from the restrictions that normally occur when you're in a contended aviation environment.”
John Rippon, Programme Manager of the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership said: “The new Drone Test and Development Centre will help to shape and transform private and commercial aviation over the next decade, so we are proud to provide Getting Building Funds to help established this pioneering new facility.
“Westcott is an important development area for Bucks LEP, one which encompasses our Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone, and this investment will help facilitate growth in the Buckinghamshire economy and further establish the county as a global centre of excellence in drone and space technology.”
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Photo caption: (L-R) John Rippon, Programme Manager of the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Kieran Arnold, Chief Architect of Future Networks and Systems at Satellite Applications Catapult.
