Fingal County Council has comprehensively rejected plans by Desmond and Ulick McEvaddy's DA Terminal 3 Ltd for a new cargo development for their lands on the western campus of Dublin Airport.
In the plans lodged with Fingal County Council, the McEvaddys' DA Terminal 3 Ltd was seeking planning permission for four aviation related cargo handling units to operate on a 24 hour seven day a week basis and ancillary office space on a 30 acre site at Huntstown, Swords.
The units have an overall combined total gross floor area of 34,623.6 sqm and the scheme when operational will employ 350 people comprising 200 warehouse jobs and 150 office jobs.
A planning report lodged by CWPA Planning & Architecture stated that the application site 30 acre is the first phase of a 123.5 acre site owned by DA Terminal 3 Ltd to be developed by the company.
Longer-term development proposals for the overall site include the development of Terminal 3 for Dublin airport.
However, the Council has refused planning permission to the cargo scheme on five grounds including that the scheme may prejudice the development of a third terminal (T3) for Dublin airport.
The Council pointed out that the development site is proximate to lands west of runway 16/34 indicated in the Dublin Airport Local Area Plan as a potential location for a third terminal (T3).
It stated that it was not satisfied that the proposed development would not prejudice the orderly operation and continued growth of the airport including the provision of T3 and the provision of a western access route to Dublin Airport.
The Council concluded that the proposed development "is piecemeal and developer led and fails to present a comprehensive and cohesive approach in ensuring sustainable growth at the Airport is safeguarded".
The Council refused planning permission after a submission from Dublin airport operator daa raised a number of concerns over the proposal.
The daa submission concluded that the proposal was for a land-side logistics facility benefitting from airport proximity only and also raised concerns over the validity of the application, conflict with rights of way, integration with Dublin airport, safety, traffic, wildlife hazard and site lighting.
The Council refused planning permission as it concluded that the proposal does not relate to Air Transport Infrastructure - Cargo Handling or airport related logistics and is therefore not permitted under this land zoning use and would contravene materially the development objective in the Fingal Development Plan for the zoning of land as "DA" Dublin Airport.
The Council also refused planning permission after finding that the proposed development due to its design will be dominating in the landscape and fails to reflect the importance of arrival at an international gateway.
The planners also refused planning after finding that the scheme was premature due to the absence of Uisce Éireann infrastructure in the proximity of the site.
The Council stated that a proposed private wastewater treatment system is neither applicable, appropriate, nor adequate with regards to the scale of the proposed development.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
