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Irish Times
27-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Dublin Airport area residents appeal against permission for viewing platform
Residents living beside Dublin Airport have lodged an appeal against Fingal County Council's decision to grant planning permission for an aircraft viewing facility, citing concerns over potentially contaminated soil at the site. St Margaret's The Ward residents' group said that although it broadly favours improvement works at the observation mound, there is a risk to public health and the environment following the granting of permission. With its approval, granted late last month, airport operator DAA aims to significantly enhance the site of the current informal airport viewing point – a layby locally known as 'The Mound', which has been in operation for more than 40 years – on the Old Airport Road. After receiving the permission , the airport's managing director, Gary McLean, said the public's reaction to the proposal had been 'incredibly positive'. He said the new facility would make airplane viewing 'safer and more enjoyable'. READ MORE However, Liam O'Gradaigh, spokesman for the residents' group, claimed the issue of alleged soil contamination and its treatment at the site were not adequately addressed in Fingal's decision to grant permission to DAA. The council also ruled out any environmental assessment. Soil contaminations from PFOS (a synthetic chemical used to make products resistant to stains, grease, soil, and water) and PFAS (known as forever chemicals), posed a threat to public health and no screening or assessment were provided for in the council's decision, he said. PFAS (per-and poly-fluoroalkylated substances) have become a legacy problem globally, including at airports where firefighting foam containing the chemicals was once used. A 28-month monitoring programme undertaken on behalf of DAA by environmental consultants Fehily Timoney between 2021 and 2023 confirmed the presence of 'forever chemicals' at a number of sample sites across its campus. Mr O'Gradaigh said: 'We have witnessed how responsible State organisations such as MetroLink and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have handled such issues.' He said the group learned from a hearing on Metrolink that some excavations near the Mound led to the discovery of contamination. That contaminated soil is going to be shipped overseas by these State bodies, he said. 'The airport campus is one of Ireland's largest known PFAS/PFOS contamination sites and worryingly is hydrologically linked to the European sites along the Dublin coast,' he said. 'There has to be proper oversight, assessment and mitigation plans put in place.' In their appeal, the residents claim issues relating to soil contamination were raised in third-party submissions and were not addressed by DAA in a further information request. 'We are extremely disappointed with this opinion as we provided ample proof that the site is in very close proximity to known PFAS/PFOS discoveries as part of the Metrolink preliminary investigations,' the group wrote in its submission. 'The airport is widely known to have a serious PFAS/PFOS contamination issue and Fingal County Council have been appointed by the EPA to oversee the issue,' it said. DAA has been asked to comment.
The Journal
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Council issues enforcement order to Dublin Airport for breaching cap of 32 million passengers
FINGAL COUNTY COUNCIL has issued an enforcement order to the DAA giving it a two year period to comply with its planning conditions as it has breached the 32 million annual passenger cap for Dublin Airport. A spokesperson for the council said that this gives the DAA an opportunity to progress their 'planning applications to increase passenger capacity at Dublin Airport or take such other steps as they consider appropriate to achieve compliance'. The council received complaints that Dublin Airport had breached its annual passenger cap in 2023 and 2024 and launched a formal investigation. A warning letter was issued to the DAA previously. A spokesperson for the DAA said that passenger numbers for the airport will be north of 36 million this year and will be heading towards 40 million by the end of the decade. Advertisement They said the enforcement order is a 'sorry indictment of the mess that is the Irish planning system, particularly when it comes to the most vital piece of transport infrastructure on this island'. The DAA called for the system to be overhauled immediately. 'Our national airport is hamstrung and can't get on with its mandate to grow Ireland's connectivity. The passenger cap on Dublin Airport needs to be removed once and for all,' the organisation said. The DAA further said that the current Government committed to acting speedily when it took up office to bring forward a legislative solution to the passenger cap. The residents group Residents at Dublin Airport accused the airport authority of acting with 'arrogance' and 'thumbing its nose at the planning process while demanding the Government facilitate what amounts to unrestricted air passenger numbers'. Spokesperson Liam O Gradaigh said: 'The airport authority is obliged to provide noise pollution data to the noise regulator, ANCA, in support of its application for 40 million passengers. That request was made in March last year and daa has still not provided the information required by the regulator.' 'Instead, they have demanded that the planning process for sustainable passenger numbers at the airport be stripped from the local authority and given to some national quango. That is the policy of Heads I win, Tails you lose,' he added. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
