PLANS for a new plane spotting facility are back on track at Dublin Airport,
Last year Dublin Airport Authority (daa) submitted a planning application to create a new “dedicated viewing area for the public to watch planes take off and land on the airport’s runways”.
The proposed Aircraft Observation Facility is due to be located on the site of the current informal airport viewing point on Old Airport Road, locally known as ‘the mound’, a site which is owned by Dublin Airport.
However, the planning application, which was submitted to Fingal County Council in June 2024, was held up due to additional information required from daa which has now been sent.
This included an “agreement to relocate bicycle parking facilities on the site; details of the materials that would be used in construction; and answers to other questions posed by the planning authority regarding the decision to include/not include certain amenities within the development”, daa has confirmed.
Plans for the proposed observation platform were first submitted last yearThe planned new facility would provide a comfortable, dry and safe space for the community to view aircraft movements, with a clear view of the south runway and the cross-wind runway at Dublin Airport, the application details confirm.
The proposal would replace the existing muddy grass mound and informal parking area with a dedicated car park with 22 parking spaces – including spaces for people with reduced mobility and dedicated family spaces, bike parking, and an elevated covered platform with seating.
“Aircraft observation facilities are a feature of airports around the world, and we want to get on and build this as soon as possible,” Gary McLean, Managing Director of Dublin Airport, said.
“The public reaction to our proposal, which we’d pay for, has been incredibly positive and people really want it,” he added.
“This location has been an informal ‘plane-spotting’ area over the past 40 years and we think it’s time to put a more formal facility in place.”
Mr McLean explained: “It’s a rite of passage for kids in Dublin to be taken to ‘the mound’ to watch the planes landing and taking off at the airport.
“This new facility would make it safer and more enjoyable for users and we think it’s a facility that the local community will really enjoy.
“We look forward to working with the planning authority to deliver this much-wanted public amenity which would be used by locals young and old for decades to come.”