EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 A detailed breakdown of the source of noise complaints (domestic, entertainment, transport or traffic noise, etc.) recorded by local authorities is not generally available. This is a data collection area that the EPA will be considering further as the breakdown of these data into categories would be a useful environmental indicator. Transport Infrastructure Ireland is responsible for mapping all national roads that carry more than three million vehicles a year and for light rail lines, including the Luas network, under the Environmental Noise Regulations. Along with local authorities, TII has the main responsibility for dealing with road- and rail-related noise complaints. Airport Noise: A Key Issue to Control When Passenger Numbers Increase Again Dublin Airport welcomed 32.9 million passengers during 2019, setting a new record for traffic at the airport (Dublin Airport, 2020). Noise complaints around Dublin Airport have become a more significant issue in recent years, with the Dublin Airport Authority logging 1453 noise-related complaints in 2018 (Dublin Airport, 2019), although there has clearly been a major reduction in airport activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers of passengers using Cork (2.4 million passengers) and Shannon (1.85 million passengers) Airports had also increased in recent years, until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, both airports are currently below the threshold of 50,000 air movements per annum for noise mapping requirements. Over the last 3 years, according to the Dublin Airport Authority, there have been very few recorded noise complaints for Cork Airport and no noise complaints for Shannon Airport. In 2019, Fingal County Council was appointed as the competent authority to regulate airport noise at Dublin Airport under EU Regulation No. 598/2014 (Government of Ireland, 2019), which covers noise-related operating restrictions at EU airports with more than 50,000 aircraft movements per year. The independent competent authority section within Fingal County Council is called the Airport Noise Competent Authority. This unit is responsible for ensuring that noise generated by aircraft activity at Dublin Airport is assessed in accordance with EU and Irish regulations. It ensures the application of the ‘balanced approach’ to aircraft noise management, as set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in cases where a noise problem or potential noise problem is identified at the airport (ANCA, 2019). 4. Outlook for Noise Policy and Mitigation Measures Acoustic Design, Planning and Noise Project Ireland 2040 includes a national policy objective that will look to integrate noise management with health and planning. The roll-out of Policy Objective 65 in the Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework (DHPLG, 2018) is expected to be a significant driver of environmental noise policy in Ireland over the coming decades. Policy Objective 65 requires the following: ‘Promote the pro-active management of noise where it is likely to have significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life and support the aims of the Environmental Noise Regulations through national planning guidance and Noise Action Plans’ . The National Planning Framework further states that ‘as we seek to promote more compact and efficient forms of development within our settlements, it is important to more proactively manage noise’. For larger urban areas, the extra value placed on ‘quiet areas’ is also highlighted as a key priority. However, there is a need for national noise planning guidance for local authorities, to ensure better consistency in the assessment and conditioning of noise issues in planning applications across the country (Topic Box 4.4). Planning guidance is of upmost importance in mitigating the current and future health impacts of noise pollution and helping to promote the government policy of improved building standards and ‘ensuring that the right development takes place in the right locations’. 90