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.
