Providing aerial footage for local gov services

Photographer Andrew Bryson started flying UAV (drones) five years ago and has been lucky enough to been involved in some fantastic projects all over the country. With projects having ranged from the Morpeth Northern Bypass and the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, to working with film production companies and Argos, Government Business looks at some of his work

Morpeth Northern Bypass/Northumberland County Council
Morpeth Northern Bypass is 3.8km long extending from Whorral Bank Roundabout on the A197 north east of Morpeth, westward to the A1 trunk road. The bypass comprises of a 7.3m wide single carriageway with a separate 2.5m wide combined cycleway/footway.

There was a new interchange creating easy access to the A1. The project involves constructing four road junctions, two bridge structures, two underpasses and one mammal tunnel to be constructed along the route of the bypass.

The project also required aerial monthly reports of the project, timelapse footage from masts of major works, aerial footage of work being carried out and 360° photos for Google Street View.

Gary Mills, project manager at Northumberland County Council, said: “Morpeth Northern Bypass was the first to construction scheme on which we employed a drone. It proved to be a valuable tool for both us (NCC) and the contractor for monitoring progress. The aerial photography was particularly useful at the monthly project board meetings where it was used to talk the board members through progress and issues on site. The aerial photography was also used on the scheme website to publicise the scheme and keep the public informed.”

Lindisfarne and John Reid Road Roundabouts/South Tyneside Council
A major commuter route in Tyneside is to be improved to help reduce accidents and ease congestion.

The scheme to upgrade the Lindisfarne and John Reid Road roundabouts aims to improve traffic flows for drivers entering and leaving South Tyneside.

Work carried out on the project included aerial overview of the finished project and aerial traffic surveys of the rush hour traffic.

Whitley Seafront Master Plan Overview/North Tyneside Council
The Whitley Bay Seafront Master Plan sets out ambitious plans to regenerate the coastline between St Mary’s Lighthouse and Cullercoats Bay. The project is a mix of council and private sector developments and involve more than £36 million of new investment at the coast.

Work carried out on the project included an aerial overview below the project started, timelapse footage from masts, aerial footage of work being carried out and 360° photos and footage.

Graham Sword, senior manager for Regeneration, North Tyneside Council, commented: “The aerial footage captured showing the coastline at Whitley Bay has proved an extremely useful and successful visual tool to communicate the numerous regeneration projects included in our Seafront Master Plan. We were really pleased with the footage, which had a very professional look and met our brief well, and the film has also captured the public’s imagination.”