Residents sue over Dublin Port noise

A number of residents living close to a container terminal at Dublin Port have sued over an alleged increase in noise and traffic at the facility.

The residents from Pigeon House Road, Ringsend, claim business at Marine Terminals Ltd (MTL), involving cranes unloading and stacking containers from ships using the port, has intensified since 2007 to a point of causing particular nuisance and breach of the planning laws. The residents claim three extra gantries with integrated lighting, plus the addition of a storey to the terminal's control room, have facilitated the intensification.

Light and traffic
The extra capacity has resulted in an increase in night-time work leading to more noise, light and traffic, they claim.

In proceedings against the Dublin Port Company and MTL, the residents want declarations certain aspects of MTL’s activities have intensified to such a degree they constitute a material change of use requiring a change in planning permission. MTL denies the claims and pleads extensions to the gantry crane and control room are exempted developments. It also claims the structures have reduced the noise.

Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley said the residents were entitled to discovery of six of 15 categories of documents sought from MTL for the action.