DAA secures planning for large staff car park at Dublin Airport despite council rejection
Seán McCárthaigh
The DAA has secured planning permission for a large new staff car park beside Dublin Airport with spaces for 950 vehicles.
The airport operator succeeded in its appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála against the decision by Fingal County Council in August 2024 to reject the DAA’s planning application for the new staff facility.
The location of the proposed extended surface car park for DAA staff is a 4.26-hectare site close to the existing holiday blue long-term car park on the perimeter of the airport in Harristown, Co Dublin.
Fingal County Council refused planning permission for the staff car park on three grounds including that it would be premature pending other proposed infrastructural upgrade works on Dublin Airport lands.
Council planners said the proposed development was also premature without necessary upgrades to the local road network and the provision of pedestrian/cycle or public transport connectivity.
They also ruled that the car park would represent a material contravention of a site that was zoned for “general employment” use.
In response to the DAA's appeal against its decision, Fingal County Council said it did not endorse the airport operator’s need to develop the new car park on a greenfield site to cover parking spaces lost or displaced through other developments including Terminal 2.
The local authority claimed DAA had not provided any information about the use of existing spaces or staff work patterns to justify the need for more staff car parking.
In its appeal, DAA said it was hugely disappointed at the council’s decision to refuse it planning permission for vital transport infrastructure.
The company said there was a need to provide safe, dedicated, high-quality parking facilities for its employees, particularly those who worked out-of-hours or late night.
It pointed out that only 17 per cent of its workforce work what would generally be described as a typical 9-5 working day.
DAA said it was impressive that 40 per cent of its staff come to work other than by private vehicle.
“It is also deeply frustrating to have to appeal yet again another decision of the planning authority that flies in the face of significant legislative and policy support at national, regional and local level to safeguard the operational requirements and needs of Dublin Airport,” DAA remarked.
It accused council planners of failing to accept the amount of staff parking required for an airport that has a cap of 32 million passengers annually.
DAA said the proposed facility would not result in a material increase in the number of car park spaces for staff as it was controlled by a condition attached to the grant of planning permission for Terminal 2.
It rejected claims by the council that there is an overprovision of staff car parking at Dublin Airport.
DAA said the local authority also failed to have regards for its collaboration with Dublin Airport, the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland which supported the principle of remote staff car parking to minimise impacts on public transport services to and from the airport.
In its ruling, An Coimisiún Pleanála said the development would maintain the overall staff parking numbers at Dublin Airport within the figure contained in the local area plan for Dublin Airport.
The Commission said the staff car park at a location removed from the airport’s campus and being served by a shuttle bus service would not contravene the “general employment” zoning of the site.
It reasoned that the provision of car parking was supporting sustainable employment at Dublin Airport and would assist in promoting the airport’s status as a secondary hub through reduced demand on the main airport campus which would improve international connectivity and competitiveness in line with local, regional and national policy.
Subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the Commission said the development of the staff car park would not give rise to unacceptable impacts on traffic safety and convenience during construction and operation.
It was also satisfied that it would not adversely impact airport operations or public health.
The Commission also determined that the new facility would not detract from the visual amenities or character of the local area.
However, it placed a limit of seven years on the permission for the staff car park which it said would enable an assessment of it and the demand for staff parking when considered with changes in public transport accessibility to Dublin Airport anticipated with the Bus Connects and Metrolink schemes.
