DAA, THE OPERATOR of Dublin Airport, is “disappointed” by Fingal County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to demolish the spiral parking ramps at Dublin Airport’s terminal 1. 

The decision from the council yesterday to refuse the planning of the demolition of the spiral parking structures was made after concluding that the application has failed to show an appropriate rationale or justification for the demolition of the spiral ramps, which the council consider to be of technical and architectural interest.

The spirals, constructed in 1972, and when operational, historically provided vehicular access to Levels 40 and 50 of T1 for car parking and services. 

“We are disappointed by the decision, as the spirals need to be removed to deliver a better Dublin Airport for our passengers,” DAA said. “These spirals historically provided vehicular access to a now obsolete upper-level car park, and their removal is essential for upgrading Terminal 1’s façade. It is crucial that we prioritise the development of Dublin Airport that allows us to add terminal capacity.”

The council has also refused planning permission after finding that the demolition of the spiral ramps would diminish the quality of the proposed façade works granted as part of a planning application lodged in 2020.

The planning authority stated that this would result in the eastern façade of Terminal 1 being of a lesser design quality becoming visually dominant when viewed from the surroundings and would be seriously injurious to the visual amenities and character of the area.

Architect, urban designer and President of the Irish arm of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, Angela Rolfe, said the serial parking ramps represent “a very fine and rare” example of brutalist architecture in Ireland.

Rolfe also said that the demolition proposal would “further significantly undermine” the cultural heritage of 20th century aviation.

Objecting to the application, Rolfe stated that the proposal to demolish the ‘iconic’ spiral ramps “has been undertaken as a knee jerk reaction to a current commercial/accommodation demand to continue to expand, but has no basis in a long term strategic planning context.”

DAA also stated: “We have a real opportunity with our new government to show Ireland can really get things done fast and live up to our hard-earned reputation as aviation leaders rather than followers. Nothing should be off the table as we look to unblock the passenger cap impasse to protect Ireland’s international connectivity, economy, and jobs.”

The DAA also said it had a ‘good meeting’ with Minister Darragh O’Brien and his officials last week.

“While we remain focused on building a more sustainable Dublin Airport that meets Ireland’s future needs for generations to come, we’ll study the latest planning rejection from Fingal County Council and weigh up our options.”

With reporting from Gordon Deegan