We all know the positive impact that the airport has had on our town.
Many of my own family members have worked there and almost all of my friends have been employed by the airport at some point. There is scarcely a person from Swords who couldn’t say the same.
But there are negatives too.
Aircraft noise and the impact of fumes can be felt across many parts of Swords, especially since the opening of the North Runway. People in Ridgewood and Boroimhe say when the wind is blowing a certain way they can smell aviation fuel. People in the north Swords can hear aircraft rev up to take off. This is no doubt having an impact of people’s health.
Just before Christmas, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) submitted, what has been described as, the largest planning application in the history of the State.
7,000 pages of documents supporting a number of different infrastructure projects around the airport were submitted.
The aim of the application is a massive increase in passenger numbers. From 32million to 40million.
While families around Swords have been struggling with the noise and emissions from the new runway. This application will make matters worse.
Alarmingly, this application contains NO PROPOSALS to reduce the noise or impact of emissions on people in Swords or around the airport.
No application to increase passenger numbers should be allowed to go ahead without a number of effective measures to reduce the impact of the new noise and emissions on the local community.
I feel this way. If you feel the same, the time to have your voice heard is running out.
The public consultation on the plans finishes on Monday January 29th.
To file an objection or observation to the application you must use the Fingal County Council planning portal and pay €20.
Having your voice heard on this is essential.
There must be a balance between the aims of the DAA and the health and well-being of the community.
Right now the community are not being considered.
To make it easier for you to make a submission I have included the following below:
- A button which will bring you to the planning application page where you can make an observation
- Text that you can use in your application. This is a submission prepared by the St Margaret’s The Ward FORUM group and it outlines all the issues they have found with the application. You are free to use this text in whatever way you want. You can add to it or take away things if you see fit.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email. I also want to thank those involved in the St Margaret’s The Ward FORUM group who worked on the submission below. They have done incredible work to digest such an enormous application.
The plans to increase passenger numbers at Dublin Airport is not sustainable. The increase in emissions cannot be justified if we are asking farmers, homeowners, and all other businesses to reduce emissions. Aviation must reduce its emissions just like everyone else.
Fundamentally, any increase in aviation is not consistent with stopping runaway climate change.
We need to work towards making the level of aviation we need truly sustainable so that we can secure jobs in the long term.
If you have any questions relating this don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Many thanks,
Cllr Ian Carey
Proposed submission text from the St Margaret’s The Ward FORUM group – use as you see fit
Planning & Strategic Infrastructure Department
Fingal County Council
County Hall, Main Street
Swords, Co. Dublin
January 19th, 2023
RE: Planning Application F23A/0781 by daa PLC
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I would like to make the following submission on planning application F23A/0781 by the Dublin Airport Authority (daa)
- This Infrastructure Application contains over 7k pages of technical documentation and contains an EIAR and AA reports and therefore the public should have been given additional time under the Aarhus Convention to read the submitted material.
- There is a severe lack of public consultation with no clinics or leaflet drops explaining the monumental amount of technical material.
- The scale of the proposed increase in passenger numbers is not supported by National or Local Planning policy.
- This application is premature pending the outcome of the Relevant Action (nighttime) appeal and contravenes section 37(5) of the Planning.
- There are no noise mitigation measures included in the application and therefore the noise measures from 2007 remain in place which are outdated. There is no nighttime insulation scheme proposed for those exposed to greater than 55dB Lnight. Some areas have been exposed to greater than 55dB Lnight in 2019, 2022 and also in 2022/2023.
- The expansion of Dublin Airport is premature without Metro North in place.
- The 32mppa cap was put in place due to surface access concerns. This has not been addressed in this application. The Proposed Development would endanger safety by reason of traffic congestion on the surrounding network.
- The application proposes an increase in both passenger and staff car parking which is contrary to proper planning and sustainability and contrary to the Fingal Development Plan
- The increase in capacity at Dublin Airport is premature and contrary to the National Development Plan
- The application fails to screen out PFAS contamination and Dublin Airport in hydrologically linked to the Special Areas of Conversation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) along the Dublin Coast.
- The divergent flight paths have never been assessed in terms of significance compared to the straight-out flight paths assessed in the planning of 2007.
- Fingal County Council has issued enforcement proceedings against the daa over breaching Condition 5 of the North Runway’s planning permission. The daa have sought to challenge this decision by way of Judicial Review. The Planning Authority cannot decide on this application pending the outcome of that case.
- Fingal County Council is still investigating enforcement complaints over the divergent flight paths currently in use and therefore cannot rule on this planning application until the enforcement decision is made.
- The site notice does not mention that the daa are requesting to use divergent flight paths which are different to the straight-out paths assessed in 2007.
- The daa have used the incorrect population datasets when comparing against the NAO, contrary to ANCA’s advice and EPA guidance. Using the latest population datasets, the NAO is breached significantly.
- The daa breached the NAO in 2022 with just 28.1m passenger.
- The daa breached the 32mppa cap in 2023 having breached it previously in 2019. This application should be for retention.
- The 32mppa cap is an Operating Restriction under EU598/2014 and needs to be assessed by ANCA.
- As the 32mppa is an Operating Restriction, the daa should have chosen section 34C of the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulations Act 2019 to amend the Operating Restriction
- The daa continue to assess scenarios with the 65 nighttime (Condition 5) restriction in place, whilst ignoring the condition in reality.
- The noise contours for the current and future scenarios are not consistent with the Noise Zones in the Fingal Development Plan.
- The health of Fingal and East Meath residents has not been properly assessed and addressed in this application.
- This development leads to a significant increase in GHG emission and not in line with the Paris Agreement.
- Prior to making a decision on the planning application, the planning authority should seek the following additional information from the applicants:
- Provide clarification on differences in aircraft noise contours compared to the Noise Zones as shown in the Fingal Development Plan.
- Provide clarification on whether changes in flight paths have occurred since the planning permission for the Northern Runway was granted.
Yours Sincerely,
Name: ______________________________________
Address: ______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Email: _____________________________________
