Dublin Port Company is to move its non-core activities to a new 44-hectare site beside Dublin Airport in a major change to its 2040 master plan.
The port said it now accepted controversial proposals to reclaim 21 hectares of Dublin Bay near Clontarf were “dead and will never be revisited”.
Dublin Port chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly said the new space was necessary given the fact that the 21 hectares was now not going to happen, leaving the port with a smaller-than-planned land bank and higher-than-expected growth.
He said figures for national economic growth had been estimated at 2.5 per cent per year in 2102 when the master plan was put forward, but the draft review recognised growth was now likely to be an average of 3.3 per cent a year.
Mr O’Reilly said the economic resurgence had seen five years of consistent growth with 30 per cent growth in cargo volumes.
He said the review of the port’s master plan and its proposed changes would see it evolve in tandem with the Government’s Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework.
The master plan noted the port’s Alexandra Basin redevelopment project involved capital investment of about €1 billion over the next decade. The plan involves the construction of 3km of quay walls, deepening of the harbour basin and channel to accommodate larger sea-going vessels as well as works associated with the conservation of the port’s Victorian industrial heritage.
Environmental assessment
The review of the master plan is accompanied by a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and natural impact statement and is now now available on the Dublin Port website dublinport.ie.
Commenting on the review and public consultation, which is open until May 25th, Mr O’Reilly said the master plan was “a living framework” for development until 2040, “and it continues to be informed by extensive public and stakeholder consultation through periodic review”.
“As a next step, I am encouraging anyone with an interest in the proper planning and sustainable development of Dublin Port in the context Dublin Bay and Dublin city to review and input on the draft document before it is finalised later this year,” he said.
Written submissions or observations with respect to the draft master plan 2040, SEA environmental report and natural impact statement can be made before May 25th. Submissions can be made via post to Sinéad Barrett, RPS, Roadbridge Site Offices, Alexandra Road, D01VR70, or via email to masterplan@dublinport.ie.
