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AN BORD PLEANÁLA has proposed lifting controversial restrictions on night-time flights at Dublin Airport which will extend its normal operating hours by two hours.
In a draft decision, the board has upheld a decision by Fingal County Council in August 2022 to sanction a relaxation of limits on the use of the airport’s North Runway at night-time which had been imposed under the original grant of planning permission for the new runway.
It rejected an appeal against the council’s decision by a large number of individuals, the St Margaret’s and The Ward Residents’ Group as well as the Friends of the Irish Environment.
The proposal will allow for the removal of the cap on the number of flights permitted between 11pm and 7am and its replacement with an annual night-time noise quota between 11.30pm and 6am.
It will also allow for flights to take off and land on the North Runway for an additional two hours – from 11pm to midnight and between 6am and 7am.
The board said its draft decision was based on the assessment that subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the proposed development would “not seriously injure the amenities of property in the vicinity by reasons of excessive noise disturbance at night.”
The proposed change to the original condition of the planning permission for the North Runway is that it shall not be used for take-off and landing between midnight and 5.59am “except in cases of safety, maintenance considerations, exceptional air traffic conditions, adverse weather, technical faults in air traffic control systems or declared emergencies at other airports.
In addition, it can also be used during such hours where the length of the North Runway is required for a specific aircraft type.
The proposal will also allow for a change in the original planning condition which restricted the average number of night-time aircraft movements at Dublin Airport to 65 per night between 11pm and 7am.
In its place, An Bord Pleanála has proposed the introduction of a night-time noise quota which would operate between 11.30pm and 6am as well as a noise insulation grant scheme for eligible dwellings.
The board said its proposed action was not seeking to amend any planning condition which is not specific to the nighttime use of Dublin Airport including the cap of 32 million passengers which was imposed as part of the planning application for the development of both terminal buildings at the airport.
In its draft ruling, the board said environmental reports had concluded that the project was unlikely to give rise to significant effect on protected EU habitats and that the increased number of flights were low enough that changes in air quality would also be small.
However, it said the proposed development would give rise to significant direct or indirect impacts on the population and human health and minor impacts on climate change without additional operational restrictions or mitigation measures.
An environmental impact assessment concluded it would result in increases in the number of people categorised as “highly annoyed” and “highly sleep disturbed” although the board said limits on aircraft movements can ensure additional awakenings are minimised and the impact on sleep disturbance is mitigated.
Among the conditions in the draft decision are that the North Runway shall be used for departures only between 6am and 8am.
The board has also proposed a condition that there should be a limit of 13,000 flights between 11pm and 6.59am per annum with a cap of 9,100 during the summer period to allow for extra flights during the busy holiday season.
DAA has claimed that the existing planning conditions on the use of the runway were “onerous.”
Fingal County Council had postponed its ruling in the case to allow a regulatory decision to be made by the newly-established Aircraft Noise Competent Authority which ruled in June 2022 that existing conditions on the use of the runway at night-time could be eased.
It also recommended the introduction of a voluntary sound insulation scheme for all residences that would be exposed to aircraft noise above 55 decibels.
DAA’s proposals have been supported by airlines including Aer Lingus and Ryanair who claimed a restriction on night-time flights could damage the competitiveness and connectivity of Dublin Airport as well as the Irish Aviation Authority.
Leading business organisations including IBEC, Chambers Ireland, the Irish Exporters Association and Enterprise Ireland as well as the IAA had also backed the easing of restrictions on the use of Dublin Airport during night-time hours.
In addition, cargo operators claimed their operations would be disproportionately affected if they were unable to fly at night.
Opponents of the easing of restrictions on night-time flights claimed nothing had changed since the original grant of planning permission for the North Runway to justify changing the conditions imposed at the time.
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Having driven through the snow in South Tipperary, and up through Limerick and Clare on the new Limerick-Galway motorway last Sunday, I can say that a red warning was absolutely required for the conditions that the region was inflicted with.
@Garry Coll: yes red should have been given very dangerous condition and met eire failed many many people dangerous lives
Warnings should only come from Met Eireann
@I’m a robot Robot: why would you even have to ask. It’s like saying amateur traffic channels should be able to set speed limits
@Laois Weather: One model for all, the weather says no
Amateur forecasters have no precedent to issue weather warnings. They should be ignored.
@John Doe: precedent? What’s dat mean,
@John Doe: Methinks you do not understand the words you use! Check out the meaning of “precedent”.
Peadar Tóibín being populist again. Imagine giving out about a weather warning!!! What a joke of a TD
@Caoimhin O’Connor: He’s not wrong though. We had no snow but most schools closed around us last week on account of this low temperature warning and it was simply a case of icy by roads, which are generally fine if you take it easy on them. Issuing warnings for what should be standard winter weather is excessive.
@Caoimhin O’Connor: Yup. Absolutely they should give a warning, granted most don’t need them, and may (myself included) will ignore them in favour of whatever they choose to do… but for that one octogenarian who had the first appointment in a clinic 50 miles away maybe it helps. People no offended by information thats not even FOR them!! Tobin is harming his core voter here.
@Longlin: How many people would have gotten hurt with the school open?
they took the safety first approach!
Wow riveting journalism lads
@Trump24: You probably don’t live here if this doesn’t interest you, having a disability it is essential to know the weather, especially this week.
@Brian D’Arcy: Well incorrect I do live here for a portion of the year but for tax purposes I can only be here a certain amount of days.
@Brian D’Arcy: look at the username, all you need to know about the caliber of person you’re dealing with
@Trump24: No. you can be here for as long as you choose to be. You choose to avoid paying tax here.
@Trump24: Hahaha nice bit of fantasy there, as if you reside anywhere apart from your mammys box room. You’ll need a PPS number and wash before you start paying any tax
@Minnie Mouse: Absolutely I do and it’s all above board it’s called financially smart.
@Freda Peeple: Do I care if you believe me absolutely not. Enjoy being poor.
@Trump24: it’s called talking out your hoop you big spoof. I have my own building company I’m doing ok. I can afford to pay tax here.
@Freda Peeple: Well clearly nothing worth becoming non dom for.
@Trump24: Ken/buster/chutes is another who made his fortune in America but chose to spend his life taking rot on all day on a poxy news app, what are the chances?
@Tired Jim: My jacks smells funky, I’m ok with that
@Freda Peeple: Never made my money in America
@Trump24: You don’t have a bean, be honest. if your mammy didn’t put credit on your phone we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
@Freda Peeple: You believe what you wish enjoy getting up for work tomorrow.
@Trump24: Yes I will, like I do everyday! I’m sure you won’t be thinking of me on your hammock making big business decisions.. on your bike Rodney haha
@Robert: ah hear, maybe his parents could see the future and at the same time didn’t particularly like him so gave him that name so that he would be laughed at and made fun of for his whole like till 24 when like a dream it all snapped into place and made sense well, at least till the clock struck midnight on new years and the carriage turned into a fat pumpkin with a dodgy wig.
@I’m a robot Robot: Silence troll
@Freda Peeple: Nice round of golf this morning for me hopefully the rain stays away then a light lunch in the club. Enjoy your sambos and tea.
@Trump24: Pitch and putt followed by home packed corned beef sandwiched from your mammy, enjoy! Hopefully you don’t get roasted on the course like you did on the Journal
@Trump24: Just mute these bottom feeders folks, it makes them go away.
@Tezmond McVicar: Indeed Freda is definitely a bottom feeder 100%.
@Freda Peeple: Unfortunately did rain a slight bit today but lunch was delicious in the club. Lovely crab claws today.
In fairness met eireann and experts kept telling us complete with blood red heat maps that Ireland was gonna cook during last summer from May till the end of August….there wasnt a week with the tabloid trash MSM who are more responsible than anyone for people getting angry with weather predictions when they post clickbait headlines and then the actual article is completely different. No wonder so many go elsewhere for information. Covid was a winner for the media between all the free advertising money they got and realising fear mongering headlines are actually a better thing to survive than acfual balanced reporting
@Patrick Newell: I don’t remember any expert or Met Eireann employees giving any such warning last summer.
Perhaps you imagined this due to consumption of vast quanties of illegal hallucinogenic narcotics?
@donal O’brien: Correct me if I’m wrong but every month last year was trumpeted as the hottest month on record ever on RTE on every single news cast every day. It was absolute and utter codswallop. The summer was the coldest wettest summer i have ever witnessed in Ireland in my 50 years on this earth. When people rightly questioned the validity of these claims they were told it was roasting at night when you were asleep, you couldn’t make this c r a p up.
@Michael McGrath:
On a world wide basis some group of international experts said 2024 was the hotest year on record for the world.
Met eireann said last May was the honest May on record in Ireland
They then said June was the coldest June in Ireland for the last 10 years.
March was the second wettest March on record in ireland, after March 2023.
Those I think are the monthly records exceeded in ireland last year.
@donal O’brien: I drive to work every morning in a car pool with 3 others and i can tell you it was a source of much incredulity and laughter in the car when the newscaster duly without fail reported each month as the hottest on record, that may not be what the official records state but thats what was reported on the radio, and also the statement that it was warmer at night and thats why we didnt realise it was so hot
@Patrick Newell: It absolutely should have been a red warning in the likes of North Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Kilkenny ,Tipperary and North Waterford, I live in Tipperary and I only eventually got out on Friday and even that was only after we cleared 20 yards of my drive with a shovel and rake. We got 14 inches of snow and many areas of high ground got similar. They are reluctant to issue red warnings because it has a direct implication on business and their obligations towards their workers. I heard of several stories that some employers disciplined their employees because they could not get into work because of the snow if it was a red they couldnt do that
Weather forecasts for snowflakes
They’ve studied meteorology, right?
@Robert: Yep, from Mrs Miggins’ Facebook page, like every dim bulb who DoEs HiS oWn ReSeArCh
No more frost till the end of the month, warm air from the bay of biscay
Q? What are all the snow-men on here all the week telling tall tales called? A. Snow-flakes.
LMAO, people offended by information about the weather!! if you don’t like then jog on
Because they are more accurate than met Éireann. They are a joke. Should be disbanded and their fancy building turned into apartments.
If it happens at the weekend forget about it. It seems like Met Eireann don’t work the weekends.
Both Irelands Weather Channel and Carlow Weather LOVE the attention when they get their predictions right – but can’t deal with criticisim when they get it wrong. They’re like a big sulky child. And if you criticise them on social media and call them out over duff forecasts, you just get blocked like I did. Childish behaviour IMO. Anyone can predict the weather, eventually you will be right at some stage. But Met Eireann are an absolute disgrace and should be shut down.
Met Eireann if anybody bothers to go to their website give detail explanations to all of the different situations countrywide.
I was helping a friend who was painting a pub. I was able to tell him when to go on lunch or to have a cup of tea as we were going to get rain. I had it down so well we never got wet.
If all you read are the headlines, it is your own fault if you get caught out!
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