Fingal County Council has received 171 new third-party submissions on DAA plans to increase the annual passenger cap at Dublin Airport to 40 million.
In a fresh wave of opposition against the lifting of the 32 million per annum passenger cap, the vast bulk of the new submissions are opposed to raising the cap and are in response to DAA’s tranche of further information lodged on its Infrastructure Application with the council in November.
As part of a 326-page submission, including appendices, St Margaret The Ward Residents’ Group told the council it overwhelmingly opposes the expansion of operations at Dublin Airport “due to the significant adverse impacts on public health, community wellbeing, and environmental sustainability”.
They state that “the evidence presented underscores that such an expansion is neither justified nor consistent with planning, environmental, or legal obligations. The current proposals exacerbate noise pollution, contravene established mitigation objectives, and fail to align with Ireland’s climate commitments”.
Former Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe is requesting that the council reject the application, as “during a climate emergency, it is an act of folly to propose expanding airport passenger numbers by 25 per cent”.
[ Move to increase Dublin Airport passenger cap to 36m ruled invalidOpens in new window ]
The Kilcoskan National School Parents’ Association said that if expanding the cap is approved, “this would mean more flights, more noise and more pollution over the children and staff” at the school “which would be detrimental”.
DA Terminal 3 Ltd is a company set up by brothers Ulick and Des McEvaddy to advance their plans for a third terminal at Dublin Airport.
As part of a submission, on behalf of DA Terminal 3 Ltd, CPWA Planning and Architecture state that there has been no provision in DAA’s development proposal that has regard for the third terminal at Dublin Airport.
The submission contends that the proposal is premature until such time as a location for the 3rd terminal is determined by the Department of Transport.
[ DAA ‘ultimate’ plan is for 55 million passengers a year through Dublin AirportOpens in new window ]
However, chief executive of Fingal Chamber, Anthony Cooney, has told the council that “maintaining the 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport will have profound negative effects on Ireland’s economy, employment, and international connectivity. Addressing this issue is crucial to support the country’s economic growth and global competitiveness”.
On behalf of the Irish Aviation Research Institute, Trevor Buckley stated that raising the passenger cap to 40 million “is for the common good, to generate further economic growth for Ireland Inc, through new airline and route development creating new job and tourism opportunities”.
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