Republican News · Thursday 15 August 2002

Concerns about new Dublin air terminal

BY JOANNE CORCORAN

Concern amongst residents on the northside of Dublin has led Councillor Larry O'Toole to send a list of questions to the City Manager requesting information on the new terminal planned for Dublin Airport. The Sinn Féin represenative discovered when canvassing his constituents that people on the northside are genuinely worried about the negative impacts a new terminal could have on the area.

"One thing is true," Larry says. "Everyone in the area is excited at the prospect of more jobs on the northside. A lot of my constituency in particular, ended up unemployed when factories in the industrial estate in Clonshaugh began to close. However, there are a number of questions about the new terminal which keep cropping up on the doorsteps."

Larry says that people on the northside don't feel they are being fully informed about what is being planned, so one of his requests is for an up to date document detailing all the information availeble about the proposed new terminal.

issue at the forefront of people's worries is what sort of increase there will be in air traffic if the new terminal is built.

"We have become used to the air traffic over the years" Larry says, "but if it is to see a large increase, then people want to be informed in advance. If a large motorway was being built near an area then residents would be told and allowances would be made for increased traffic noise, so the same should be done in this case. It might not seem like a big deal to people who don't live near the airport, but for those who do, having 50 planes or more fly over your house every day can be a inconvenience to say the least."

Residents' groups are also curious to know what the environmental impact will be on communities. "They have communicated their concerns to me about what sort of damage to the environment communities may be looking at," says Larry. "Much of the northside is already inundated with building work as a result of the port tunnel. People want to know how long it will take to build the new terminal, and whether the environment will suffer in any way as a result."

In addition, locals want to know whether a study has been carried out to determine what the possible increase in motor traffic will be, to and from the airport, in the event of a new terminal being opened.

"We all want to see Dublin move into the 21st century," Larry insists. "But it shouldn't be at the expense of local communities. People have a right to know how their lives and area will be affected as a result of Dublin Airport being enlarged."

Larry is expecting the issue of the new terminal to be brought up in the September meeting of Dublin City Council and is hoping for a reply to his questions next month.