Gwynedd councillor Beca Brown has called for assurances that Llanbedr airfield is not being used for the development of drones for military purposes.

She asked the question during full council on Thursday, 2 October.

Cllr Brown said: “I note that drone testing and development has been taking place at Llanbedr airfield in Gwynedd for over a decade, for a variety of purposes.

“Given the horrific effects of drones on civilians in wars, and given that we live in a world that feels increasingly unstable, can we be certain that the drones being developed at Llanbedr are not being used for military purposes?”

Cllr Medwyn Hughes said the council had been in contact with site leaseholders, Snowdonia Aerospace LLP to “seek the assurances”, working with them since the area became part of the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone in 2011.

“The centre offers a development space for different companies in the field of unmanned vehicles, satellites, and wider space technology,” he said.

“The council has assisted them with projects that could lead to safeguarding and creating new employment opportunities in Llanbedr.

“They have recently received an £820,000 grant from the UK Space Agency to extend their research and testing facilities”.

He said the council is not currently supporting any projects or activities on the site.

“The council has contacted Snowdonia Aerospace LLP to obtain assurances that their customers were not developing drones for military purposes,” he said.

“Confirmation has been received that the site is only used by commercial companies.

“As they have agreed to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with their customers, they are not in a position to provide details of the operations of these companies.

“Nevertheless, the company has confirmed they have no planned military drone operations with the Ministry of Defence at the site in Llanbedr”.