Dublin Port Company (DPC) is to lodge €1.1bn plans with An Bord Pleanála for a 15-year permission for its 3FM Project, the third and final project from Dublin Port's Master Plan 2040.
Underlining the scale of the project, the overall planning application site area extends to 2,471 acres and the 3FM Project is to be developed on existing brownfield lands in the port, focusing primarily on the Poolbeg Peninsula, where one-fifth of Dublin Port’s estate is located.
The project is to deliver close to 20% of port capacity required by 2040 by providing essential infrastructure and capacity for unitised cargo as demand for freight services from Continental Europe grows.
The 3FM Project includes the construction of a new bridge across the River Liffey as part of the Southern Port Access Route (SPAR), removing heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), port and commercial traffic from existing public roads leading to and from the Tom Clarke Bridge.
The 3FM Project also includes the construction of a new Lift-on Lift-off (Lo-Lo) Terminal with an annual throughput capacity of 5.34m tonnes.
The project also includes the replacement of the existing Lo-Lo container terminal, with a new Roll-On Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) Terminal with an annual throughput capacity of 8.69m tonnes.
The scheme also involves new public realm and open spaces contained within a Port Park.
The project, put forward by self-financing commercial semi-state Dublin Port Company, is the largest port infrastructure project in the company’s 317-year history.
It completes the three core strategic infrastructure projects brought forward for development from Dublin Port’s Masterplan, with the ABR Project near completion and the MP2 Project under construction.
With the publication of the statutory planning notice for the project on Monday, ceo of Dublin Port Company, Barry O’Connell said: "Today we are putting forward the 3FM Project to develop critical national port infrastructure on existing port lands to support growth in the Irish economy.
He said that the plan "delivers on Dublin Port’s core mandate to facilitate international trade".
"It does this by maximising our current footprint to create state-of-the-art capacity for import and export trade which is the mainstay of our economy, and which is fundamental to future economic growth," he said.
"Dublin Port is already one of Europe’s most efficient ports. For business, the 3FM Project means essential port infrastructure that supports Ireland’s export ambitions into the future," he added.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
