Weston Airport, part-owned by Stripe co-founder John Collison, has been granted permission to build a new search and rescue (SAR) hangar.
The proposed build will house the Bristow-operated Dublin search and rescue team, which has been relocated to Weston Airport from Dublin Airport.
Following an appeal, including objections from locals, An Coimisiún Pleanála ratified the local council’s decision to grant permission for the hangar despite a recommendation from its inspector to reject the planning.
In early July, Rescue 116, the Dublin-based rescue helicopter, began to operate at Weston Airport, ending a 27-year term in Dublin Airport. The new private operators of the SAR helicopters for the Irish Coast Guard service, Bristow Ireland, are set to be based at the airport.
RM Block
As part of the move to Weston Airport, they sought permission to build a SAR hangar and facility capable of housing two rescue helicopters.
The two-storey development will also include a maintenance store; workshop and facilities; operations rooms and offices; staff kitchen, and accommodation for on-shift personnel, alongside 15 parking spaces.
A secondary single storey building with an ESB substation, switch room, and a security office will also be built.
Local residents have decried the additional air traffic volume that locating the SAR base at Weston Airport would have, with one submission saying the community was “already plagued by aircraft noise and pollution, helicopters and jets in particular”.
“The prospect of night flying,” the submission said, “even if it were on only a few occasions does nothing for our peace of mind”.
[ John Collison and other Weston Airport owners invest €18.9m in expansionOpens in new window ]
The local council was urged to do “the most humane thing and [reject] this application and let us residents [live] in peace”.
One submission claimed that Weston has “historically shown contempt” for the local communities and the council was told that one local was reportedly told “p**s off, it’s an airport” in response to a complaint to the airport. The airport strenuously rejected this claim.
Despite the objections, South Dublin County Council granted conditional permission for the project in August 2024. An appeal of the decision was lodged three weeks later.
The planning board upheld the decision by the local council, despite a recommendation from the senior planning inspector, Terence McLellan, that the location of the development within the airbase “would result in the disorderly and piecemeal development of Weston Airport that would facilitate an overall intensification of the airport”.
“The proposal would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area,” Mr McLellan said, recommending the board refuse planning permission.
An Bord Pleanála did not accept the recommendation, noting it preferred the “assessment and conclusions of the planning authority” in relation to the location of the development within the airport.
In a statement to The Irish Times, Weston Airport said the development was “both necessary and responsible” and would serve the “national interest in saving lives”.
“The project includes extensive environmental safeguards and noise mitigation measures to ensure minimal impact on the surrounding community,” Weston Airport said. It added that it was looking forward to delivering the development, which it said will “operate in harmony” with the local community and environment.
