Fingal County Council has given lift-off to plans by Dublin airport operator daa to expand the existing Pier 1 West building at the airport in order to deal with overcrowding.
In granting planning permission to the plan by daa to add a second storey to the western end of Pier 1 West, the Council has concluded that the proposal for additional dwell space for passengers is not foreseen to have a negative impact on the public amenity of the area.
The development will include two new boarding gates that will reduce bottlenecks and improve on-time departures and the extension will also provide additional seating, new food and beverage outlets, and upgraded toilet facilities, making waiting times more comfortable and convenient.
The permission is subject to eight planning conditions.
In a planning report lodged by daa with the application, it states that the proposal “directly addresses critical operational challenges at Pier 1 West, overcrowding, and poor energy performance”.
It states that the current conditions at Pier 1 West “pose several critical challenges. Pier 1 West is overcrowded and undersized, leading to congestion, delays, and poor passenger flow, which negatively impacts flight punctuality and overall operations”.
Highlighting the need for the development, the planning report states that Pier 1 West is a small, compact area of 1,066 sqm, currently serving six passenger boarding gates.
The report adds that “additional space would improve comfort for passengers – enabling comfortable seating areas, and improved food and beverage offer, both of which are currently lacking”.
The report also states that the proposal will “also improve circulation space within and around the gates, improving passenger experience for all passengers, including those with reduced mobility”.
The report states that the proposed development “will alleviate pressure on current infrastructure, streamline processing and significantly improve the overall passenger experience through better layout, amenities and flow”.
“The current floor area can become very congested, requiring considerable active management of queuing areas, and can lead to delays in passenger processing for flights. This has potential to directly impact flight punctuality and efficiency of overall airport operations,” the report states.
It also states that the decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is relevant where the decision establishes the important principle that additional floorspace for the airport is acceptable and would not result any increase in passenger or operational capacity, an approach equally applicable to this proposal.
Daa’s Deputy Director of Communications Kevin Cullinane said the daa welcomes the decision by Fingal County Council.
“This approval represents a significant step in our ongoing commitment to enhancing Ireland’s strategic national infrastructure. daa remains focused on delivering facilities that support national connectivity and delivering long-term value for our passengers and stakeholders,” he added.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
