Latest news with #StMargaretsTheWard
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.
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Residents near Dublin Airport to meet Minister for Transport over planning and environmental worries
Residents in the vicinity of Dublin Airport are to meet Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien to press their concerns around planning and environmental issues related to air traffic. Mr O'Brien has already met several aviation organisations and business groups and is due to continue engagements over the coming weeks. The Government is in favour of lifting Dublin's 32 million annual passenger cap and the Department of Transport is working on a new national aviation policy, which is expected by early 2026. [ Health cost of noise at Dublin Airport put at €800m Opens in new window ] The meeting on Wednesday with the St Margaret's The Ward Residents' Group is thought to be his first with community representatives. READ MORE 'We're all about proper planning and sustainability,' said its spokesman Liam O'Gradaigh. 'We want to make sure that the Minister is also wearing his Department of Environment and Climate hat – that he fully understands the health impacts associated with Fingal residents and east Meath and that he listens to us and that he follows proper planning.' New research suggests that noise levels at Dublin airport could have a health cost to residents living nearby. Video: Enda O'Dowd Mr O'Brien is also Minister for the Environment and many north county Dublin residents angered by developments at the country's main airport live in his Dublin Fingal East constituency. A spokesman for Mr O'Brien said the programme for government included a 'strong commitment' that relevant agencies would engage with communities affected by noise, flight movements and airport operations. The group will raise health concerns based on a report it commissioned from PMCA Economic Consulting, which claimed local aircraft noise brought a human 'health cost' of almost €800 million and causes cardiovascular issues for thousands. [ Living near Dublin Airport: 'The noise, it's overwhelming ... it penetrates through the whole house' Opens in new window ] They will appeal to Mr O'Brien's responsibilities in environmental policy and highlight a planning submission from airport operator DAA where modelling shows that raising the passenger cap from 32 million to 36 million people annually would increase CO₂ emissions by more than 276,000 tonnes in 2026. Other concerning issues on the group's agenda are its opposition to night-time flights, and the flight paths from the airport's second runway, which have caused considerable local disquiet since beginning three years ago. It will raise a planning submission from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) to An Bord Pleanála that said it had assessed and approved instrument flight procedures (IFPs) relating to flight paths, but that this 'should not be confused with any suggestion that these specific IFPs were required by the IAA, or that the IAA thinks that they are the optimal flightpaths, whether from a safety perspective or otherwise'. About climate issues, the Minister's spokesman said the State strongly supports the policy objective of reducing aviation emissions. Measures would include aircraft technology and operations improvements, and the increased development of sustainable aviation fuels. In the Dáil last week, Mr O'Brien raised the issue of additional capacity at regional airports and said there was a need for an updated 10-year national aviation policy. The St Margaret's The Ward group believes it should have more involvement in its formulation. An update of the regional airports programme from 2026 to 2030 is also due. Mr O'Brien said that the current stay on Dublin's passenger cap, due to a related European Court of Justice case, will probably remain in place for most of 2026.
