Fingal County Council is seeking additional information from Dublin Airport operator DAA about its planning application for Dublin Airport's new €320 million runway, which is currently due to become operational in 2022.
The current conditions would limit the use of the north runway between 11pm and 7am, and also place an overall limit of 65 aircraft movements across the entire airport during those hours.
In the planning application that it lodged in December, DAA proposes the introduction of a noise quota system at night, which would operate between 11.30pm and 6am, and that the north runway would only be used between 6am and midnight.
As reported by The Irish Independent, Fingal County Council has now asked DAA to examine the noise impacts of the easing of restrictions over a period of 10 to 15 years, and to allow consideration for potentially the worst impacted locations and to include properties closest to the airport.
Fingal County Council has also asked DAA to provide information about the number of people who will be "highly annoyed" or "highly sleep disturbed" as a result of ground and air noise.
The Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA), which was established by Fingal County Council, has determined that easing restrictions would cause a "noise problem", and stated that the application that was submitted in December proposes a situation in which "some people will experience elevated levels of night time noise exposure for the first time, which may be considered harmful to human health".
The draft regulatory decision has triggered a public consultation period of 14 weeks, and all feedback provided will be considered by the ANCA before a final decision is made.
Support
The planning application has attracted 205 submissions, including from Tourism Ireland, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), Enterprise, IDA Ireland, IBEC, Dublin Chamber, the Irish Exporters Association Ireland and 20 airlines that serve Dublin Airport, all calling for the runway restrictions to be eased.
Meanwhile, global logistics firms at the airport, DHL, Fed Express and UPS have told Fingal County Council that they believe that DAA's planning application does not go far enough.
Opposition
However, many north Dublin residents are opposed to the plan and have been backed by a number of politicians including minister for children Roderic O'Gorman TD, Clare Daly MEP and Ciaran Cuffe MEP.
Cuffe told Fingal County Council that this is a time of climate and biodiversity emergency, and said, "Now is a time to reduce rather than increase the number of flights through Dublin Airport.
"Surrounding communities have a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes, particularly at night-time."
DAA Response
Commenting on Fingal County Council's request for additional information, a DAA spokesperson said, "A request for further information is a normal part of the planning process and we will be engaging with the planning authorities in relation to this."
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