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Dublin Airport has submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council for a new parallel runway and recently provided additional clarification for the Council on the issues involved in the development of the new runway. The construction of the new parallel runway would allow Dublin Airport to accommodate approximately 30 million passengers per year when fully operational.
Environmental Impact Statement must accompany a planning application for runway lengths in excess of 2,100 m. An Environmental Impact study (EIS) is an appraisal of the environmental effects of a development conducted during the planning phase of a project.
As part of the scoping exercise for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement, public consultation took place over the following dates:
The Review of the public consultation took place on the following date:
There have been significant changes in the airline industry over the last ten
years. Low cost airlines have revolutionised how and why people travel by air.
People want a wider choice of destinations to choose from, and to travel more
frequently. Also, our modern economy requires global links to sustain and
encourage economic growth. In 1994 Dublin Airport handled 6.98 million
passengers with some 130,000 aircraft movements. Since then, passenger numbers
have grown steadily at an average of 1 million per year. In 2004 more than 17
million passengers will use the airport with 165,000 aircraft movements.
The
real measure of airport capacity are the number of aircraft movements available
in total and at peak times. Although aircraft are getting larger and can
accommodate more passengers per flight, the number of aircraft movements is
limited on our current runway system. A second runway will provide additional
capacity up to 30 million passengers. Based on conservative forecast growth
figures the second runway will be required in the next 8 - 10 years.
The new runway will replace Runway 11/29. It will be located 1,690 metres
north of and parallel to the existing runway 10/28. It will be totally within
existing airport lands and will be connected to the existing complex by a series
of taxiways. It will be 3110 metres long and 60 metres wide, plus shoulders,
totalling 15 metres.
The timeframe for the second runway is based on the time we will extract the
maximum capacity of our current capacity. The existing runway system at Dublin
Airport comprises three runways, the longest being runway 10/28, then runway
16/34 and a short runway 11/29. Every effort is being made to ensure that the
current runway system is utilised to the full, and this work involves the
airport company (as the provider of the runways), Irish Aviation Authority - Air
Traffic Control (as the managers of the runways) and airlines (as the users).
The capacity of the existing runway system has been analysed by experts
working for the UK National Air Traffic Services, and a programme of measures is
being implemented to ensure that management of procedures and processes at
Dublin Airport’s runway system is in line with international “best practice”.
The existing short runway, 11/29, has recently been resurfaced to enable its use
by small aircraft, and is capable of adding some additional capacity. These
measures should satisfy demand until around the year 2010, when demand will
exceed capacity. At this point, a new runway will be required, or future growth
at the airport will be constrained.
In 2001, the completion of the terminal extension and other associated
projects prompted an assessment of all development options for the airport as it
was recognised that demand could no longer be satisfied by incremental
development. It was also recognised that the complex interactions of airfield,
terminal areas, kerbside set-down and pick-up facilities, ground transportation,
car parking and external ground transportation could not be satisfied by a
solution for any one of these areas in isolation.
The primary objective,
therefore, of preparing a development plan for Dublin Airport was to provide a
context or framework within which the future development of the airport could
take place over the following twenty or thirty years.
The master planning process, carried out over the last three years, built on
the work of previous plans, examined all realistic options for the development
of the airport and set up a robust framework for evaluation. The process
involved consultation with all stakeholders.
Other options including Baldonnel, Gormanstown, other Irish airports and a
new greenfield site were all considered as part of the planning process. There
were a number of reasons why they were not suitable such as high population
density, access and cost. The airport company already owns the land needed for
the runway and good planning has meant the area has been kept free of
high-density areas, minimising the impact on residents. The parallel runway has
also been in the county development plan for 30 years.
Studies show that the economic contribution of the airport, directly and
indirectly, to the Greater Dublin region and to Ireland as a whole represents
approximately 1.3% of Gross National Product per annum. Some 120 companies are
located within the airport campus supporting 12,000 jobs on the site and 39,000
jobs nationally. This represents 2% of the National Labour Force and equates to
7% of jobs in Dublin, and 60% of employment in Fingal.
The overall impact of
a new runway would be to facilitate additional aircraft and passenger traffic,
thus adding another 30% to local, regional and national employment and to annual
income.
The development and use of the runway will result in increased aircraft
traffic. Whilst some areas may be affected by increased noise levels, other
areas may experience a reduction in noise levels. Detailed noise assessments
will be carried out using computer modelling and these will be detailed in the
Environmental Impact Statement accompanying the planning application. We will
also continue to work with airlines and air traffic control providers to
mitigate the impact of noise through improved operating procedures.
Details of a Residential Sound Insulation Programme (RSIP) will be included in the planning application. It is clear that any new scheme should be at least as effective and comprehensive as the scheme currently in existence. It is proposed to continue to use the 66 Leq (16 hour) noise contour as the basis for the RSIP. This is consistent with practice at a number of other international airports and also with the scheme currently in operation.
Parts of the adjacent road networks will be affected. This will include the realignment of the Forrest Road within airport lands and the closure of the Huntstown to Forrest Little road (previously the R108 which now runs via the St. Margarets Bypass) immediately north of Huntstown. This will require a new road to link Huntstown to the St. Margarets Bypass, running south of the new runway and, again, on airport owned lands.
The future well being of Dublin Airport depends on the provision of effective and convenient modes of surface access. The Fingal County Strategy to 2011 supports provision of both rail and metro links to deliver "a modern, integrated and accessible transportation system" for the region. The airport currently has a wide network of bus and coach services to a range of national and local destinations. Dublin Airport continues to provide enhanced infrastructure on site for these services and to explore all options for network improvements to complement future rail links. Fingal County Council and the National Roads Authority are currently carrying out a programme of road improvements in the vicinity of the airport, necessary for improved access and particularly for public transport. Dublin Airport continues to develop a high quality road network on site to ensure rapid unhindered access to the various facilities. Finally, in tandem with these measures, Dublin Airport is actively encouraging employees and users of the airport to switch to the various modes of public transport servicing the airport, when possible, in order to lessen dependency on the use of private cars and to reduce congestion.
A new drainage system will be provided to serve the runway, with surface
water discharging to the existing watercourses outside the airport at a safe
rate.
As part of the environmental assessment existing water quality will be
examined. Recommendations will be made as to the appropriate level of management
required for surface water drainage from the proposed new runway. The aim will
be to mitigate any potential adverse impact from the drainage so that the water
quality in the receiving watercourse would be comparable to that at present. The
surface water will be attenuated on site and the rate of discharge will be
limited to existing site run-off rates to prevent any impact on downstream water
levels.
As Dublin Airport continues to grow, both in passenger numbers and aircraft movements, so does the need increase to keep many stakeholder groups informed and consulted about the consequences of that growth. Dublin Airport is committed to providing its local communities with an opportunity to have their views taken into account. Dublin Airport believes that the Consultative Committee process, as established under U.K. legislation for larger airports, is generally recognised as the most successful process of its type, and would, we believe, suit the needs of all parties in Ireland. Therefore Dublin Airport now proposes to establish a Consultative Committee, which would be independently chaired.
If you require additional information on the proposed parallel runway 10L/28R, feel free to contact us at:
Tel: (01) 814 4130
e-mail: runway@dublinairport.com
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