Second terminal at Dublin airport given go ahead

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has secured planning permission from Fingal County Council for a 75,000sq m second terminal at Dublin International Airport, due to open in late 2009.

The council yesterday approved the DAA's plans for the terminal subject to 43 conditions including a €12.5 million infrastructure levy payable to the council.

The terminal, which is set to cost over €600 million to develop, is essential, the DAA said, to deal with overcrowding and allow for expansion in passenger numbers from just under 20 million a year to as much as 30 million.

The development of the new terminal will be the first major expansion in passenger facilities since the current terminal was built in the late 1960s. However, despite the growing capacity constraints, the DAA's plans have drawn significant opposition, particularly from Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary who said the new terminal was too costly, badly designed and in the wrong location.

Ryanair was among 28 companies and individuals which submitted planning objections to Fingal County Council. Local landowner Ulick McEvaddy and his brother Desmond, who believe a new terminal should be privately owned and claim they can build it at a fraction of the cost estimates put forward by the DAA, also submitted an objection. The remaining objections are from local residents mostly based in the St Margaret's area near the airport who believe their quality of life will be adversely affected by the expansion.

The council's planning approval is unlikely to be the last hurdle the DAA has to clear before it can begin construction of the terminal. A spokeswoman for Ryanair said last night that the company would be appealing the council's decision to An Bord Pleanála. A hearing on the development is likely to take place next year.

An Bord Pleanála has recently conducted a hearing on the DAA's plans for a new runway, due to open at the same time as Terminal 2, following appeals from local residents.

The terminal and runway are part of the Dublin Airport Masterplan approved by the council earlier this year. The masterplan also contains provision for a third terminal due to open after 2016 to cope with an expected airport capacity of almost 40 million in 2025.

The DAA last night welcomed the council's decision, but it would not say whether it was prepared to meet all the planning conditions. The DAA also has the option of appealing any of the conditions to An Bord Pleanála.

The bulk of the 43 conditions relate to road upgrades, several of which overlap with works already agreed under the runway permission, including works to the M50 and M1 motorways. The council has also ordered that land must be reserved for the provision of the Dublin city to Swords metro, which will stop at the airport, due to open in 2012. Extra parking and the building of a "travelator" on the pedestrian bridge that will link Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 is also required by the council.

Labour transport spokeswoman Róisín Shortall welcomed the decision but said the council's requirement that the terminal be opened only once the M50 upgrade was complete was "unrealistic". Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said imposing restrictions on working hours would hold up the project unnecessarily. Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said a high-speed rail link to Shannon airport would be better than a new terminal in Dublin.