Bull Island site offered in port expansion plan

DUBLIN PORT Company has said it will transfer full ownership of its portion of Bull Island to Dublin City Council and give the council more than €1 million towards the island’s protection and development, if planning permission is granted for the expansion of Dublin Port.

The company is seeking to fill in 21 hectares of Dublin Bay to expand port facilities and intends shortly to make a planning application for the project to An Bord Pleanála. The expansion has been planned for more than 25 years, but has been consistently opposed by residents in the north bay area and by city councillors.

Last year the project was accepted for consideration under the new “fast-track” planning process, which allows applications for major infrastructural projects to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing the normal local authority planning stage.

If the company applies to the planning board within the next two months, it can expect a decision before the end of this year.

Although the application will no longer be adjudicated on by the council, the company is offering to transfer its 10.75-acre holding on Bull Island to the council and to fund a €200,000 environmental, recreational and amenity study of the island. It also says it will provide €100,000 a year for 10 years for the provision of facilities and services identified in the study.

The company last night wrote to councillors, local residents and community groups to outline the plans to transfer the lands and has asked interested parties to submit their views on the proposals by May 21st.

Under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, which introduced “fast-track” planning, An Bord Pleanála can order applicants to fund community gain projects as a condition to granting permission.

Dublin Port Company is advancing the land transfer as a community gain project in its application. However, it could be ordered by the board to provide additional or alternative funds.

Despite the offer of the substantial land bank, which includes the recently refurbished bridge that provides access to the Royal Dublin golf club and Dollymount strand, the company is still likely to see its expansion plans opposed.

A study commissioned by the council on the future of Dublin Bay proposed relocating the port to a new site outside the city. It emerged last month that three-quarters of respondents to the public-consultation phase of the study said they favoured port relocation.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley is due to make an order extending the Dublin Bay special protection area, an EU designation intended to protect wild birds, by almost 30 per cent – an area which would most likely encompass the lands earmarked by the port for development.

The expansion would involve new quays along the southern and eastern edge of the 21-hectare site in the north bay. Three new berths for roll-on roll-off ferries would be provided on the southern quay, while a fourth berth for load-on, load-off ferries would be provided on the eastern quay.