Public consultation on Dublin Airport

On 18 December 2020, the airport authority for Dublin Airport (daa) submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council Planning Authority seeking to amend prior planning conditions associated with night-time aircraft activity at the airport. The application relates to night time use of the new North Runway and changes to permitted night-time aircraft movements across the entire airport.

The application was referred to the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA) for an assessment of the aircraft noise impact of the application as presented and, after determining that the application would cause a noise issue at Dublin Airport, ANCA undertook a detailed noise assessment.

That assessment has resulted in the recent publications of a Draft Regulatory Decision and ANCA has now embarked on a 14-week public consultation where it is seeking submissions from stakeholders on its draft recommendations.

The public consultation will inform ANCA’s final direction to the Planning Authority before it rules on daa’s application next year and stakeholders are being encouraged to make a submission before the end of the public consultation process on February 28.

Fingal County Council is the competent authority for aircraft noise regulation at Dublin Airport under the Government’s Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019. ANCA was established in 2019 as an independent directorate of Fingal County Council and is the independent body charged with regulating the management of aircraft noise at Dublin Airport.

ANCA ensures noise generated by aircraft activity at Dublin Airport is assessed in accordance with EU and Irish legislation and that the Balanced Approach of the International Civil Aviation Organization is applied where a noise problem at the airport is identified.

Their role also includes reviewing all proposed development at Dublin Airport to determine if there is any aspect of a planning application that would cause additional aircraft noise. It also monitors Dublin Airport to ensure it complies and implements noise mitigation measures and operating restrictions.

On 11 November ANCA published a series of proposed conditions for consideration by the public. Their proposals are designed to specifically address the problem of aircraft noise at Dublin Airport.

ANCA’s proposals include the introduction of a Noise Abatement Objective for Dublin Airport - the first of its kind in Ireland – as a long-term plan to ensure best management of aircraft noise at the Airport. This will serve to dramatically reduce the long-term impact of aircraft noise by 30% by 2030, 40% by 2035 and 50% by 2040, compared to 2019 aircraft noise levels. These targets are significant and have been chosen to challenge daa to take meaningful action to reduce aircraft noise.

ANCA are also proposing the imposition of three new conditions by the Planning Authority which will assist in the achievement of the Noise Abatement Objective.:

The first is a Noise Quota System – or noise budget - for night-time operations at Dublin Airport between 11pm and 7am, including a restriction on very loud aircraft flying at night.

Aircraft are assigned a Noise Quota number, ranging from 0 for a very small aircraft up to 16 for the noisiest aircraft. Each time an aircraft takes-off or lands an airport’s Noise Quota depletes according to the Noise Quota Number of that particular aircraft.

ANCA recommends that Dublin Airport be given a Noise Quota Budget of 16,260 per annum. This is similar to the amount of night noise the Airport generated in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Airport’s Noise Quota Budget will deplete by the Noise Quota Number of each aircraft as it takes off or lands.

ANCA is also recommending that aircraft with higher Noise Quota Numbers, which is those greater than 4.0, cannot take-off, and aircraft with a Noise Quota Number greater than 2.0, cannot land at Dublin Airport between 11pm and 7am.

The second condition proposed by ANCA is a restriction on flights on the new north runway between midnight and 6am and the third is the provision of a new Residential Sound Insulation Grant Scheme of up to €20k for residents most affected by night-time noise from Dublin Airport and who have not previously availed of such a grant.

ANCA’s proposals are aimed at achieving a balance between reducing the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding communities while also providing for the role of Dublin Airport as a major employer and driver of Ireland’s national economy.

Ethna Felten, Director of ANCA, said: “Our recommendations will bring Ireland into line with international best practice and help us to meet our objective to manage noise at Dublin Airport. Our recommendations focus on limiting and reducing the impacts of night-time aircraft noise in Dublin and will guide future decisions regarding aircraft noise management at Dublin Airport.”

The component parts of ANCA’s public consultation include the Noise Abatement Objective, the Draft Regulatory Decision and related report, the Environmental Report for the purposes of Strategic Environmental Assessment and the Natura Impact Statement for the purposes of Appropriate Assessment. These documents can viewed and commented on at www.consult.fingal.ie

A total quota of 16,260 points is proposed for Dublin Airport

There are also details on the consultation portal of the series of webinars which the ANCA team will be hosting between now and the end of February. ANCA are available to engage in person with stakeholders during the consultation period which runs to 28 February.

Once the consultation period has ended ANCA will review the submissions received before finalising their report and recommendations to the Planning Authority and the ANCA Director says they would like to hear the views of all stakeholders.

“I encourage people to participate in this public consultation because these decisions we make together will affect local residents, businesses and everybody who uses Dublin Airport,” said Ethna Felten.