Commercial goods could be flown from Fawley by drone to the Isle of Wight under a company's "game changer" plan.
Park Gate-based Inteliports wants to partner with the Isle of Wight Council as part of a six-month trial.
If it goes ahead, a drone will launch from a distribution hub in Fawley, fly 400ft up in the air and cross to Cowes on the Island in around seven minutes.
A 20ft shipping container at Mornington Road car park would take the item, and it would then be distributed locally.
If the project goes beyond a trial, there would be no more than nine deliveries a day.
People were able to quiz developers at an event on the Island on Monday night.
Among the issues raised were whether the drones could handle windy conditions, the impact on wildlife and the environment and the benefit to the community.
There were also concerns about whether the scheme could result in delivery drivers' jobs being lost.
Speaking to the County Press, David Park, chief of strategy for Inteliports, said it is not about replacing existing infrastructure but instead about being "innovative" in an environmentally-friendly way.
He said there is currently a huge demand for same-day deliveries, but that comes with more vans on the road and that isn't a good thing for the environment.
"How do we stop the number of vans on roads doubling?", he said.
"How bad is the problem going to get? It is not a pretty picture.
"Our mission is to build a scalable service that can integrate this net zero project in a commercial manner."
At the meeting, one resident raised concerns over the impact the drones could have on wildlife at Mornington Wood, which is based close to the car park.
Mr Parks said that is "something we would need to look into", as there isn't much historical data on drones and wildlife.
Meanwhile, he said Monday's high winds, which hit around 35mph, would have been "too much" for the drone.
Mr Parks said there was still a "long journey" before the scheme became a reality.
"Are we becoming an Amazon overnight? We want to take things a bit slower", he said.
Before plans proceed, further stakeholder consultations and public meetings are due to be held.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel