DAA must stick to planning conditions at Dublin Airport
- The Dublin Airport Authority cannot be treated differently to any other company or individual when it comes to planning conditions
Councillor Brian McDonagh, Mayor of Fingal was reacting today to the announcement that the DAA expect to breach the 32m passenger cap at Dublin Airport in 2024.
Cllr McDonagh, who is a Labour Party councillor in the Howth-Malahide Local Electoral Area, said:
“Unauthorised development is an offence, plain and simple. Despite what they said yesterday, the responsibility to comply with the planning condition in relation to the 32 million passenger cap lies solely with the DAA and they need to take the necessary measures to ensure they are in compliance with planning law.
“Planning permissions are there to protect the environment and the community.
“Growth outside of a planning process is uncontrolled and brings with it all sorts of consequences as we know only too well from things that have happened in the past. There are good reasons why planning conditions are imposed when planning permissions are granted. They can only be dealt with through a planning process which is a strictly defined legal process.
“Fingal County Council’s planning policy already provides a framework for the Airport to get to 40 million passengers per year. It is all laid out in the Fingal Development Plan and the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan which Dublin Airport can’t change or I can’t change just by waving my hand.
“As far as I am aware the planners in Fingal are still waiting for the DAA to respond to the questions they were asked last February. That’s over six months. Kenny Jacobs can go on the media all he likes but until the DAA respond nothing is going to happen.
“Speaking personally, as a local councillor, I have no confidence or trust in the DAA’s willingness to address noise related health problems or carbon emissions. The Minister for Transport needs to make complying with WHO noise recommendations and international climate targets part of the remit of the Board and Chief Executive of the DAA.”