Residents’ anger builds over airport noise

Fingal residents have applied more pressure on the Dublin Airport Authority in their bid to reduce noise from aircraft.

Over 400 people attended a meeting that was held by Fingal Organised Residents United Movement and the St Marget’s The Ward group in late March.

Residents from Chapelwood, Tyrrelstown and St. Margaret’s The Ward attended the meeting.

People in attendance were presented with scientific data that showed that flights around Dublin Airport are exceeding legally binding noise limits.

A protest was outside Fingal County Council as it met with DAA higher-ups before Christmas, calling for the DAA to engage with residents on the ground.

The groups contend that ever since the North Runway was opened at Dublin Airport in August 2022, noise pollution has significantly increased over Fingal.

Residents from Meath were also in attendance in the meeting, who said that ever since the runway began operation in 2022 it has affected the quality of their lives.

Meath resident Serena Taylor, is a former Trinity graduate and medical physicist by profession who has held previous clinical roles in both the fields of sleep and respiratory medicine.

She said that local communities near Dublin Airport suffer from “sleep arousals and awakenings.”

“Many people will not even be aware that aircraft noise is disturbing their sleep quality, but over time there will be a decline in overall health and wellbeing. I would be concerned for all those living in close proximity to Dublin Airport and in particular, those who live within a 10-mile radius,” she told Northside People in December.

“The DAA cannot be allowed to manipulate and muddy the waters at this late stage. It would make a mockery of the whole planning system in the country. They must follow the planning permission granted.”

Data from the meeting showed that noise levels close to Dublin Airport range from 55 to 63 decibels; research from the World Health Organisation shows that healthy noise levels in residential areas near airports should be 40 decibels or lower.

Community representatives for the affected communities met with the Irish Aviation Authority in March, and the meeting heard that the IAA agreed that there are “multiple” solutions to the current problem.

The IAA said that diverging the flight path over the north runway to the west of the airport could be a solution, where it was noted there are more open fields than residential areas.

Another potential was to make the flight paths and runways more “straight out.”

Under that plan, aircraft would not travel over the current affected area.

The IAA said that support was given to the straight-out runway option submitted for the North Runway planning permission in 2004, meaning there is precedent for the move.

The meeting called on elected representatives from Fingal, be they members of Fingal or Dublin City Council, TDs or Senators to give notice in writing to Fingal County Council that enforcement proceedings should be issued against the DAA in relation to the operation of the North Runway flight path.

The meeting also called on members of Fingal County Council to pass motions that would require the DAA to give notice in writing to the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority.

Under the Aircraft Noise (Dublin Airport) Regulation Act 2019, section 21(3)(a) the relevant authority can be compelled to carry out independent noise monitoring along the North Runway and South Runway flight paths.

It is understood that by carrying out an order to review the effectiveness of the noise mitigation measures, the DAA would be able to comply with the conditions set out in the act.

Furthermore, the meeting called for the results of the results monitoring to be shared with both Fingal and Meath County Council in the interest of transparency.

The group asserts that Dublin Airport deviates from the original flight plan set out by An Bord Pleanála.

A November 2023 report from the North Runway Technical Group read “30,000 people are suffering under the noise pollution of aircraft that should not be overflying us according to Condition 1 of the only planning permission that permits the north runway to operate.”

“Those aircraft should be over the empty fields and solar farms that have been reserved for the flight paths since 2007. There is no safety, regulatory or technical reason that prevents the DAA from complying with the original noise footprint from the 2005 Environmental Impact Statement that underlies the planning permission for the north runway.”

They accused the DAA of “trying to pull a fast one” by submitting what they allege to be “virtually identical” before and after noise charts.

The DAA say that the before chart is “permitted”, and what they submited is not in breach of the original 2007 planning permission conditions. 

In return, the North Runway Technical Group responded “the DAA hope that ABP wouldn’t notice the alleged discrepancy and would grant de facto retention to the current illegal flight paths just like Fingal County Council did.”

“ABP should not allow DAA and AirNav to persist in causing damage to citizens when a solution is possible. The appeal should be upheld and Fingal County Council’s cynical grant of permission should be reversed.”