KEEPING THINGS MOVING
C
CORMAC KENNEDY IS HEAD OF PROPERTY AT DUBLIN PORT, A JOB WHICH ENCOMPASSES MANY ASPECTS OF MANAGING THE PORT’S PROPERTIES AND ITS MASSIVE FOOTPRINT.
ormac
of
important in that sense and our job is to create
Property at Dublin Port for three
has
been
Head
the environment for that traffic to transit through
years and says the Port is a
the port as efficiently as it can. We’re guided in
unique property ecosystem: “Because from a
all that work (in building capacity) through our
general practice point of view, we have all sorts
masterplan and our franchise strategy, which is
of lease structures in the Port. We’ve standard
essentially our land use strategy”.
occupational leases, we’ve licences, we’ve
Ground was broken last year on the Dublin Inland
building leases, we’ve all sorts of legal
Port, which is located near Dublin Airport: “We’re
relationships. Because of the work we’re doing
building a remote location where we can move
in the Port in terms of the development
what we call non-core port users from the Port”.
Cormac has a busy household with four kids,
pipeline, we’ve plenty of engagement with our
Traditional landlord/tenant issues take up about
and he is involved in his local GAA club in Kill,
quantity surveyors, our architects, our heritage
another third of Cormac’s time, and the remaining
Co. Kildare. He likes to keep fit through
architects and land surveyors. We use LIDAR to
third is spent on legal and insurance issues.
cycling and running.
take surveys of all our walls. From a surveying point of view, we cross over into all the other
Port development
Within that land were two large warehouses that
surveying disciplines on a regular basis”.
Cormac explains that the Port will have reached
the Port secured vacant possession of, which were
Cormac says that his week is broadly split into
maximum capacity by 2040 and its masterplan
converted for inspections. Dublin Port spent
thirds covering different aspects of his job. One-
will be developed through three strategic
€30m preparing for Brexit, on such things as
third is spent on development projects, primarily
infrastructure development (SID) applications:
acquiring buildings and providing infrastructure.
about developing freight capacity. Dublin Port
“As part of our work in planning for 2040 we’ve
Cormac says that at the start of the year the Port
accounts for most of the ‘ro-ro’ and ‘lo-lo’ freight
issued seven post-2040 dialogue papers. I think
was quieter than normal, as many firms
coming into Ireland. Ro-ro is roll on, roll off,
this is important from a surveyor’s point of view
stockpiled goods before Brexit. However, volumes
meaning the freight on lorries that drives off the
because it talks about where we see capacity in
from the UK will increase: “All of our trade isn’t
ships. Lo-lo is load on, load off, which is freight
Dublin Port and the Irish port system post 2040”.
done with Europe. A lot of the talk had been about
coming in on container ships, which must be
those direct European routes [from Dublin and
loaded off with cranes. Dublin Port accounts for
Brexit
other ports], but we still do a lot of trade with the
almost 90% of ro-ro freight coming into Ireland
Cormac says the Port took the view that Brexit
UK. That land-bridge route [across Britain] is still
and around 70% of lo-lo freight: “It’s very
meant Brexit from the start: “We started planning
very important for hauliers. The current model is
for Brexit straight after the vote because there’s a
built on picking up a load in Ireland, bringing it
SURVEYOR PROFILE
long lead-in for providing the infrastructure
through the land-bridge and dropping it in Europe,
needed to accommodate Brexit. We’ve given up
but on the way back through the UK, they’d pick
Colm Quinn Journalist and Sub-Editor, Think Media
about 14.6ha of lands to meet the various State
up loads as well, so you can see why that route is
agencies’ needs”.
important for the whole logistical supply chain”.
SURVEYORS JOURNAL Volume 11, Issue 1, Spring 2021
33
