Dublin Port hearing adjourned

A planning hearing into Dublin Port proposals to infill 52 acres of Dublin Bay was adjourned this morning after senior counsel for company expressed concern over the involvement of flooding specialists as advisors to Bord Pleanála.

An Bord Pleanála’s fast-track strategic infrastructure division has been hearing an application by the port company for planning permission for the infill for the past week.

Paul Gardiner, for the company, told the planning inquiry this morning that flooding specialists HR Wallingford had in the past provided advice to the developers in Bremore Port in north Co Dublin.

He said Bremore had been put forward as an alternative to Dublin Port's infill plans, and described the use of Bremore as "the only other game in town".

Mr Gardiner said HR Wallingford's role in relation to advising Bremore Port and now An Bord Pleanála had only come to the Port Company's attention this morning, and to his personal attention 10 minutes before the hearing began.

He said the advice given to Bremore Port may have been provided by a different official or somebody who was not now with the company, but it was something Mr Wyse may want to bring to the Bord's attention as soon as possible.

Ian Lumley for An Taisce - which is opposing the infill plans - said it was surprised by the development and had put a lot of work into the planning hearing. If the hearing were to start over, he said An Taisce would be subject to considerable costs and he would like to apply for those to be covered.

However, Donall O'Laoire for campaign group Dublin Bay Watch and Clontarf residents Association said he believed the hearing should continue. It was possible he said in cases where a potential conflict of interest occurred to simply discount the evidence of the party concerned.

Mr Wyse said he would allow all parties time to consider the situation and would hear their positions this afternoon.

The port company argues the expansion would be necessary to provide deep-water berths for larger ships, and was central to the economic prosperity of the State. The infill would increase container traffic through the port by up to 50 per cent.

However, opponents claim the development would be an eyesore particularly when viewed from Clontarf and point out the area in question was in the process of being designated as a special protected area under the EU Birds Directive.