On Tuesday evening Primetime broadcast a programme about a story that has left many people who live on the flight paths of the new Northern runway at Dublin airport a living hell .
Built to accommodate the growing number of passengers and cargo that land at Dublin airport.
The down side has been the affect on people’s lives, their health and their futures.
In truth, nobody wants to live in an area where the noise pollution makes life intolerable but that is the unfortunate reality that the communities of parts of Ashbourne, Ratoath, |Ballyboughal and north county Dublin now face.
The Dublin Airport Authority (daa) have defended their position, despite being in breach of the original planning back in 2007. Fingal Council ordered them to comply with the original conditions.
However, the daa applied for a stay to the high court and the situation remains pretty much as has been.
The residents of the areas affected will have to wait to see what action will be enforced by Fingal Council when the case is heard.
In questions challenging CEO Kenny Jacobs position, Miriam O’Callaghan pointed out the noise and disregard for the original planning conditions.
He continued to claim that they are sympathetic to the community and have set up a million euro fund to alleviate noise pollution.
However, for people living on the flight paths the noise is unbearable.
A member of the Forum Group set up as an action group to deal with the issues, has told us at meathlive.net that Mr.Kenny has been invited to come to public meetings.
He has never turned up or sent anyone to represent the daa.
One positive contribution on the Prime Time was given by pilot Gareth O’Brien who explained in simulation tests, how the noise pollution could be better controlled.
Scenes from protesters at a recent public meeting outside Fingal Council offices in Swords,Co. Dublin.
In the meantime Forum Committee issued the following statement following the airing of the programme
1. Despite what the daa “intended”, the flight paths currently operating are clearly different to what was communicated in all formal correspondence in relation to its current
planning permission.
2. You can’t be compliant with your planning permission if you are not compliant with the conditions of your planning permission! This is what the daa is asking us to believe!
3. The residents association would welcome our first meeting with the CEO of the daa to meaningfully engage on a solution to resolve this matter
PRESS Release issued Oct 4th
Yesterday evening Primetime headlined with an extensive piece which focussed on the known divergent flight paths off the north runway as well as the lack of adherence to
night flight restrictions at Dublin Airport.
FORUM and the residents of east Meath acknowledge that this exposure will assist in highlighting that the daa are not adhering to the law relating to many of the conditions
which were attached to the planning approval they received for the north runway. All of which is causing great suffering to so many.
In response to the CEO of daa, Kenny Jacobs’ comments,
“The flight path now out the north runway is the one that was originally planned when the north runway opened up in August” and “the flight path today from the north runway
is the flight path that was intended.”
1. This is not the flight path that was planned and had been communicated with the public for years before the runway opened.
2 .This is not a straight out flight path for 9km with divergence potentially occurring once the planes reach 3000 feet.
3. This flight path bears no resemblance to the flight paths which were used for noise modelling in the vicinity of the airport and runway, for mitigation measures, insulation
and most significantly for land use planning along the flight paths.
daa insulated and bought houses along the original and approved flight path, not this now described ‘intended’ flight path.
To make such a statement is factually incorrect, unless of course the stance of the daa always was to use certain flight paths and disregard all the conditions that led to the
acquisition of that planning in the first place. Actions such as, to be in breach of these ‘onerous’ conditions, render the approval of planning for the north runway null and void
if the conditions upon which it was granted now supposedly cannot be adhered to.
Specifically relating to night time flights, condition 5 of planning for the north runway stated there would be a cap of 65 movements per night once the north runway became operational.
The airport has been in breach of this for the past year facilitating at times almost double that number of flight movements and this is presently the subject of enforcement proceedings by Fingal County Council as the daa are in breach of this condition.
As per Kenny Jacobs,
“You could have 65 movements on very old aircraft making far more noise than 150 movements on newer aircraft” and
“So we want to move to a noise quota that’s much, much better and that is managed between ourselves and the noise regulator.”
The daa are now claiming that this condition is ‘unlawful’ and that the relevant action currently under appeal with An Bord Pleanala will solve the night time issue, as it involves a noise quota system.
What the daa fail to acknowledge is the proposed noise quota system does not include a fleet movement limit and the manner in which a quota is calculated will enable the daa to fly as many planes out of Dublin Airport, overnight, as they like, which will definitely not solve the noise issue for those living under those flight paths.
Finally Kenny Jacobs comments that he is out in the community and meeting with residents is ridiculous and farcical.
He has been asked numerous times to meet with residents in the community and he has refused or delegated.
We continue to work towards justice for all affected. We need to keep contacting our local government representatives, engaging within our community groups, sending complaints and staying united, as this is the only way that we have a fighting chance for resolution to this unbelievable situation.
We will keep you updated as events unfold.
