Council invites submissions on Draft Dublin Airport Local Area Plan

Fingal County Council is inviting submissions in relation to the Draft Dublin Airport Local Area Plan which will be on public display for the next six weeks.

The draft Local Area Plan can be viewed at County Hall, Swords, Civic Offices, Blanchardstown, Fingal branch libraries or at www.fingal.ie. Submissions can be made online at consult.fingal.ie; by email to [email protected] ; or by post to Senior Executive Officer, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Department, Fingal County Council, County Hall, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin, K67 X8Y2. The deadline for receipt of submissions is October 15.

The Council will host two information evenings for members of the public in order to set out the contents of the LAP and provide background information outlining the need for the LAP. All interested parties are encouraged to attend these events which will be facilitated by the Council’s Department of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure. One will be held in County Hall, Swords on September 18 and the other will be in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dublin Airport on October 1. Both information evenings will run from 4.30pm to 8pm.

The Interim Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said it is important that citizens with views in relation to the development of Dublin Airport took the opportunity over the next six weeks to familiarise themselves with the Local Area Plan.

Ms Farrelly said: “Dublin Airport is a key driver for growth in Fingal. The Draft Dublin Airport Local Area Plan sets out the strategic vision and future direction for this key economic asset for a six year period from 2020 to 2026. The public consultation process is an opportunity for citizens to see what is being proposed and then make submissions in which they can state if they agree or disagree with what is being planned.”

The draft LAP has been prepared in line with the objectives of the Fingal Development Plan, relevant national and regional guidelines and the transport strategy of the National Transport Authority. The draft Plan is a requirement of the current Fingal Development Plan and consists of a written statement and maps setting out a land use strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the airport, in addition to a Strategy for St. Margaret’s Special Policy Area.

The LAP provides a detailed planning framework for Dublin Airport and its environs and has focused on Sustainable Growth & Development, Surface Transport Access, Sustainability & Environment, and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. It also considers future development of the Airport in the context of the local communities in the vicinity. Ultimately the plan will provide the policy context against which all future development proposals at the Airport will be assessed.

The need for the LAP arises as a result of the success of Dublin Airport over the past decade. Ongoing growth at the Airport is a national policy and is expected to continue into the longer term. Locally, the Airport is the single largest economic driver in Fingal generating significant employment and income. 

Managing the growth of the Airport in a sustainable way is a priority for Fingal County Council and the draft LAP provides the framework to allow for ordered growth to take place while ensuring that growth will protect amenities enjoyed by existing communities. 

Ms Farrelly said: “As a Council we are trying to facilitate the sustainable growth of the Airport so we can build on the strategic advantage of this significant asset to drive economic investment and continue to generate employment in Fingal.”

Fingal County Council’s Director of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Matthew McAleese said: “This draft Local Area Plan is set against the background of the National Aviation Policy, 2015, which sets out, as government policy, the aim to facilitate growth of passenger numbers at Dublin Airport into the longer term. It has been prepared in the context of National and Regional planning policy and the Fingal Development Plan 2017-2023. Since the adoption of the Fingal Development Plan, we have been working on the preparation of this Draft Local Area Plan to provide a strategy that ensures that growth at the airport is sustainably managed for the benefit of the local and national economy.”

Fingal County Council is also holding a separate public consultation process, which will commence in the coming days, on the proposed Variation No. 1 to the Fingal County Development Plan 2017 – 2023 which also relates to Dublin Airport. It is therefore important when making a submission to clearly state if it relates to the draft LAP or the proposed Variation No.1 to the Development Plan.

ENDS

For further information please contact [email protected]