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Amazon is launching a drone delivery service in the UK next year

Another step closer to the future.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th October 2023

Thousands of us could be getting our parcels dropped off by a drone rather than a human by the end of next year.

It may only a few weeks after it was revealed that the little shopping delivery robots dropping off Co-op groceries to Greater Manchester residents would be rolling out to more areas of our region, but it now looks like we’re taking yet another step closer to what living life in the future would look like.

And that’s because Amazon has announced it’s launching a drone delivery service in the UK next year.

Already a futuristic reality over in the US states of California and Texas, the American technology giant announced yesterday, as it unveiled its new generation of drones at its HQ in Seattle, that it intends to introduce autonomous aircraft delivery in Britain and Italy sometime “in late 2024”.

The company said it will begin using the currently-unmanned airborne vehicles for distributing goods from some of its same-day delivery sites, one of which will be in the UK, but no location for this site has been revealed yet.

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Amazon said it hopes to be delivering 500 million packages via drone worldwide each year by the end of the decade.

This ambitious announcement comes up to a decade after the company first publicly-announced that it was setting its sights on the skies back in 2013, and nearly seven years after it previously trialled an early version of the ‘Prime Air’ delivery system down in Cambridgeshire in 2016 – but since then, it’s fair to say progress has been slow.

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Following from what it learned during the 2016 trial, Amazon has said it doesn’t intend to relaunch the drone delivery service from standalone centres, and will be integrating the drones into its existing network instead.

Amazon is launching a drone delivery service in the UK / Credit: Amazon

Announcing the expansion of its autonomous delivery service this week, Amazon said in a statement: “As part of our continued efforts to innovate for customers, we are excited to announce the expansion of Prime Air delivery internationally, for the first time outside the US.

“We have been delivering packages by drone for almost a year in California and in Texas and we have built a safe, reliable delivery service and have partnered very closely with regulators and communities, so we will continue with that collaboration into the future to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and the communities we serve.”

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Amazon will be working with the UK Government and aviation authorities to reintroduce the drones into the UK airspace.

The futuristic service could be in flight by the end of 2024 / Credit: Amazon

Aviation minister Baroness Vere called Amazon’s announcement this week “fantastic”.

“Amazon’s announcement today is a fantastic example of government and industry coming together to achieve our shared vision for commercial drones to be commonplace in the UK by 2030,” Baroness Vere said in a statement.

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“Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our understanding of how to best use the new technology safely and securely.”

Featured Image – Amazon

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Manchester United reveal first images of ambitious plans for brand-new stadium

Danny Jones Danny Jones

After much talk of whether Old Trafford would be redeveloped or an entirely new stadium would take its place, Manchester United have confirmed their plans to build a brand-new home ground and revealed the first new images.

Put simply, it looks incredible.

Not only will a 100,000 capacity see it overtake Wembley (90k) as the biggest arena in the UK but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Sports group now spearheading the rebuild of the club aim for it to become “the world’s greatest football stadium”.

Unveiling the first official images along with a CGI concept video as somewhat of a teaser trailer for the new stadium, the ‘centrepiece of the Old Trafford Regeneration’ project, Stretford and beyond are set to look very different.

The first thing to note is the striking shape of the new stadium complex; while many fans were worried designs would resemble another shiny metallic bowl shape like many other new stadiums across Europe and the globe, chief architects Foster + Partners have gone for a much different visage.

Lord Norman Foster, the company’s executive chairman, said as part of the full announcement: “This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.

“The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square.”

Revolving around three tall spires – a trinity, if you will – the new Man United home campus will be covered by the large netting-esque feature which wraps around the main stadium structure itself.

Credit: Foster + Partners
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport”, says Ratcliffe.

Set to cost in the region of £2 billion, it is believed the huge undertaking could be completed within the space of five years.

With support from the government as part of the official Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which Mayor Andy Burnham, the likes of Gary Neville, Lord Sebastian Coe and other notable figures serve on, the wider goal is for the redevelopment to transform the area and expand further into South Manchester.

The club claims ‘New Trafford’ (not an official name) will create 92,000 new jobs, involve the construction of 17,000 homes and bring an additional 1.8 million visitors to the area annually.

As per further particulars shared online, it is said that the ground would be visible from the Peak District and even the outskirts of Liverpool “in optimum conditions”; the tallest mast will be larger than Beetham Tower and 15.5% of the seats will be reserved for hospitality.

You can see more images of what they hope the stadium and atmosphere to look like during a night match down below:

“We are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance”. (Credit: Foster + Partners)

Although millions of fans will be torn over the decision to leave the existing ‘Theatre of Dreams’, it has been widely reported that the cost of renovating Old Trafford as fans know it today could prove almost as costly as building the new sporting arena entirely.

Commenting on the plans, the club’s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has backed the move. He said as part of the official statement: “Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in.

“Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”

It’s also still unclear as to what will happen to Old Trafford, although the belief is that it will remain intact next to the new stadium nearby and be used for Man United Women’s fixtures as well as youth games.

You can hear Lord Foster talking through the plans and see the design in more detail down below:

The new ‘Wembley of the North’.

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Also remarking on the plans, Mayor Burnham, added. “Our common goal on the Task Force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs.

“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012 [something he’d already said this time last year]. Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world.”

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“To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”

How do you feel about the plans, Reds?

Featured Images — Manchester United (via club website)

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms Manchester United ticket prices will go up next season

Danny Jones Danny Jones Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirms Man United ticket prices will go up

Amid a number of financial confessions made on Monday, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed that ticket prices will go up next season.

The Failsworth-born billionaire sat down with club legend and fellow businessman Gary Neville for a lengthy interview on The Overlap, during which the two discussed everything from his first year in charge to Erik ten Hag, fan frustration, the Glazer family, the new stadium and more.

However, the biggest takeaway that supporters will no doubt be most concerned with is how things are going to directly impact them and their pockets, with Ratcliffe confirming that ticket prices will be going up heading into next year.

You can see how he dealt with the question by Neville down below.

Jim Ratcliffe’s full interview with Gart Neville on The Overlap.

As you can see, although he answers the questions very quickly and plainly, there’s still no indication as to what fans can expect to be paying for season tickets and single matchday admission.

Although Ratcliffe insists they will only jump up “a little bit, yes, but not a lot”, he couldn’t clarify what that amount will be and, more importantly, it wasn’t made clear if this was an increase on the existing number or the £66 limited fee that was introduced back in November after concessions were stripped.

That being said, given the “big picture” revelations regarding the club’s finances Ratcliffe mentions throughout the rest of the interview, you would assume it will be on top of that figure.

Undoubtedly the most alarming quote for fans to hear during the entire sit-down comes from 72-year-old disclosing that “Manchester United would have run out of money at the end of this year”, around Christmas or even November time.

Neville’s only response is to ask “Do you know how bad that is?”, assuring that he doesn’t doubt they are indeed the facts on the balance sheet given his knowledge of the club, before describing the present circumstances as “horrific.”

It is this reason, among many others related to the long-standing Glazer stewardship and what Neville labelled as nothing less than “neglect” that led United fans to hold yet another large-scale protest before the game against Arsenal on Sunday – a demonstration which saw thousands take over the streets.

Manchester United fan group The 1958 issue statement after ‘successful’ protest

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Other notable comments from the discussion included Ratcliffe admitting that “mistakes” were made when it came to keeping ten Hag on after the FA Cup victory, the costly situation with Dan Ashworth – which he put down to a matter of “chemistry” – and the club’s continued issues with recruitment.

While the former right-back did credit his fellow entrepreneur for at least coming forward to do the interview and communicating these realities to the Old Trafford faithful, if you’re a Red, we’ll warn you it isn’t exactly a light-hearted listen.

Better yet, let us know your honest opinion of Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS and the decision they’ve made thus far down in the comments.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Overlap (screenshot via YouTube)

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