8.5 International Connectivity

8.5 International Connectivity

High quality accessibility to international gateways, located both within and outside of the Region, for people and internationally traded goods / services is of fundamental importance to economic competitiveness at regional and national levels.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

The achievement of this objective will be contingent on the development and improvement of critically enabling road and rail infrastructure, and public transport services, for the movement of people and goods.

International Connectivity

RPO 8.15: The critical role of the EMRA’s international gateways will be protected by ensuring that local land use policies facilitate their functions and their landside access capacity for all transport modes.

The NPF includes High-Quality International Connectivity as a National Strategic Outcome and recognises the crucial role that the provision of high-quality international connectivity has for overall international competitiveness and addressing opportunities and challenges from Brexit through investment in our ports and airports, in line with sectoral priorities already defined through National Ports Policy and National Aviation Policy and signature projects such as the second runway for Dublin Airport and major redevelopment at Dublin Port including proposals for a southern port access route.

RPO 8.16: Support the improvement and protection of the TEN-T network to strengthen access routes to Ireland’s ports, including investment in the ongoing development of the N11/M11 to improve connectivity to Rosslare and improvements to the Dublin-Wexford Rail line.

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Connectivity

Dublin Airport

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Dublin Airport accounted for 85% of all air passengers in the Country in 2016. The number of passengers has increased year on year to reach 29.5 million in 2017 and is forecast to increase again in 201859. Dublin Airport is a key national asset to Ireland’s economic success which is linked with its global connectivity to trade and tourism markets and requires support to ensure it continues as an economic driver. The National Aviation Strategy for the first time supports the growth of the Airport to a secondary hub airport; Dublin Airport has a number of features which make it an attractive option for airlines, including the availability of full US Preclearance.

Dublin Airport

RPO 8.17: Support the National Aviation Policy for Ireland and the growth of movements and passengers at Dublin Airport to include its status as a secondary hub airport. In particular, support the provision of a second runway, improved terminal facilities and other infrastructure.

RPO 8.18: Improved access to Dublin Airport is supported, including Metrolink and improved bus services as part of BusConnects, connections from the road network from the west and north. Improve cycle access to Dublin Airport and surrounding employment locations. Support appropriate levels of car parking and car hire parking.

Consideration of continued growth of the Airport has to include the environmental considerations, airplanes are a significant emitter of greenhouse gas and noise both of which have to be mitigated. Also, in the interests of public safety, careful land use planning considerations must be given in the surrounding areas and flight paths.

RPO 8.19: Spatial planning policies in the vicinity of the airport shall protect the operation of Dublin Airport in respect to its growth and the safe navigation of aircraft from non-compatible land uses. Policies shall recognise and reflect the airport noise zones associated with Dublin Airport. Within the Inner Airport Noise Zone, provision of new residential and/or other noise sensitive development shall be actively resisted. Within the Outer Noise Zone, provision of new residential and/or other noise sensitive development shall be strictly controlled and require appropriate levels of noise insulation in all cases.

Landside access to Dublin Airport will be significantly enhanced by the provision of Metrolink. In addition to this project, the critical role of buses and taxis in serving air travellers and those employed in the Airport area will develop further over the period of the RSES, in order to ensure that the mode share for public transport is maintained at a high level and increased further. In the longer term, consideration of heavy rail access to the Airport would facilitate direct services from the national rail network in the context of potential future electrification.

RPO 8.20: Spatial planning policies for areas located within the Public Safety Zones shall reflect the guidance set out in the ERM Report “Public Safety Zones, 2005” (or any update thereof) commissioned by the then Department of Transport and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in assessing proposals for development falling within Airport Public Safety Zones.

Regional Airports

Ireland West-Knock and Shannon Airports proximity to the Midlands is recognised and have important tourism and enterprise development functions for the catchments they support.

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy

Sea Ports

Dublin Port

Dublin Port is the largest port in the Country handling almost 50% of all trade in Ireland and growth of 35.7% over the last five years. In 2018 there was a record throughput of 38 million gross tonnes, a 4.3% increase on 2016. Dublin Port is one of five major ports classified as Tier 1 / Tier 2 ports in National Port Policy and categorised as core / comprehensive ports in the EU’s TEN-T network. Dublin Port is recognised in this RSES as a critical national facility; a key economic driver for the Region and the nation and an integral part of Dublin City, in line with the Dublin Port Masterplan 2040 (reviewed 2018).

Ireland’s port and shipping services play an important role as enablers of economic growth. Irish ports are critical infrastructure for international trade, with over 90% of our international trade moving by sea. Ports also serve as logistics and distribution hubs. The Region is home to the largest sea port in the country, Dublin Port, and also contains a number of regional ports of significance and smaller harbours. These include Arklow, Drogheda, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Greenore, Howth, Wicklow and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland.

Regional Ports

Given the nature and function of ports, combined with the location interfacing with the marine environment, there is potential for environmental conflict with the existing ecosystem. This sensitivity is further increased by the proximity of most of our Region’s ports to designated sites. In order to minimise potential impacts on EU protected habitats, brownfield port developments which maximise the capacity of existing port sites should be prioritised over greenfield developments. The approach to port development in the Region shall adhere to the European Commission guidelines on the Implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives in Estuaries and Coastal Zones.

The regional ports are recognised in this RSES as important centres of economic activity, and the RSES seeks to protect and support the role of regional ports as economic drivers for the Region. This includes ports of regional significance located at Drogheda, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire, Greenore and Wicklow as well as other regional ports at Arklow, Howth, and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Ports

As required by National Ports Policy (2013), a National Ports Capacity study has been commissioned which will assess the capacity of the national ports network. The maritime economy and its role as an enabler in effective regional development is discussed further in Chapter 6 Economy and Employment.

RPO 8.21: The EMRA will support the role of Dublin Port as a Port of National Significance (Tier 1 Port) and its continued commercial development, including limited expansion and improved road access, including the Southern Port Access Route.

In terms of port facilities, National Ports Policy and the national hierarchy or tiering of ports recognises the longterm international trend in ports and shipping towards increased consolidation of resources in order to achieve optimum efficiencies of scale. This has knock-on effects in terms of vessel size, the depths of water required at ports and the type and scale of port hinterland transport connections. National Ports Policy seeks to ensure that the strategic development requirements of Tier 1 Ports, ports of regional significance and smaller harbours are addressed to ensure their effective growth and sustainable development at a national and regional level.

RPO 8.22: The EMRA supports ports of Regional Significance that serve an important regional purpose and/or specialised trades or maritime tourism; and the accessibility requirements of regional ports within the Region, from within their regional catchments will be addressed through the provision of improved access routes, where necessary and improved access to the national and regional road networks. Opportunities for the use of rail, where such ports are connected to the rail network is also promoted.

RPO 8.23: The EMRA supports the protection of the marine related functions of ports in the Region in order to ensure the future role of ports as strategic marine related assets is protected from inappropriate uses, whilst supporting complimentary economic uses including the potential for facilitating offshore renewable energy development at ports.

The Assembly supports the role of all ports in the Region and seeks to harness economic opportunities from the ocean economy and the Ports in the Region in realising the full potential of the ocean economy. Particular regard is had to the Government’s integrated plan for the marine industry – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth (2012), the National Marine Research and Innovation Strategy 2017-2021 (Marine Institute Ireland, 2017), and Ireland’s Ocean Economy (NUIG, 2017). The EMRA supports the undertaking of a feasibility study to examine the different options and potential for facilitating offshore renewable energy development at ports.

RPO 8.24: The EMRA supports the undertaking of feasibility studies to determine the carrying capacity of ports in relation to potential for likely significant effects on associated European sites including SPAs and SACs.

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Connectivity