Residents around Dublin Airport asked to help prepare for legal action over noise

North Dublin residents have been asked to detail how noise from flights using Dublin Airport’s new north runway are affecting them in preparation for a planned legal action.

The request was made by a local residents’ group at a public meeting in Coolquay near Dublin Airport attended by almost 200 people and political representatives from various parties representing constituencies covering areas around the airport.

The St Margaret’s and The Ward Residents Group, along with other residents, have complained about “unacceptable aircraft noise pollution” from flights using the runway, claiming the flight paths deviated from those permitted under the 2007 planning permit.

Residents argue that a change in flight paths by the airport’s operator, DAA, since February 23rd have led to several new communities being “significantly affected by unexpected aircraft notice” and have increased air traffic and noise in some areas.

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The meeting was told that solicitors for the residents’ group have written a legal letter to DAA about the flight paths from the new runway, giving them 14 days until today (Tues) to respond or face legal proceedings over the divergent flight paths.

Pearse Sutton of the residents’ group said the noise levels from flights using the new runway, opened last August, were “way off” those permitted under the original planning.

“It is like moving the M50 motorway and moving it three or four miles away and saying: ‘Sure, look, there’s no change here; there is nothing to see here,’” he said.

Mr Sutton said planning for the residents’ legal action was going “full tilt.” He urged people to outline how their lives had been affected for affidavits in the legal proceedings.

“We have one opportunity at this and if we don’t work at it, we will have to live with the consequences forever,” he said.

Liam O’Gradaigh of the residents’ group said the changed flight paths since last month had “actually now narrowed” the area where the flights pass over, increasing noise levels.

Paddy Christie, principal of Kilcoskan National School, told the meeting that the noise from flights overhead had “seriously negatively impacted our school environment.”

He said the school was “totally dependent” on its yard because it had no hall and that it was disrupting sports and special classes making teaching “quite difficult.”

“It is also a concern for us for the future because I would imagine it will negatively impact on people wanting to bring their kids to the school,” he said.

One resident from Swords told the meeting that in addition to the noise from overflying aircraft, the fumes from the planes were “just unbelievable.”

A spokesman for DAA said the revised flight paths since February 23rd had “resulted in aligning these more closely with the information previously communicated by DAA.”

Some areas such as St Margaret’s, Shallon and The Ward Cross would continue to be overflown as anticipated, whilst others such as Oldtown and Ballyboughal would continue to be overflown but at higher altitudes, he said.