Published: Friday, 20th August, 2010 4:27pm

Tubber airport plans to be lodged by next April

A graphic design image depicting what the main airport building may look like
Pic by==: 97

Plans for a €200 million international airport straddling the Offaly/Westmeath border have taken off this week after a decision by An Bord Pleanala to grant the ambitious proposals Strategic Infrastructure Development status, meaning the project will bypass the local planning process and go directly to the board for a verdict.

The proposal, which the developers believe could create over 5,000 jobs, including 2,000 in the construction phase, entails a 6,000 square metre terminal building with capacity for two million passengers, a 2.7 kilometre long and 60 metre wide runway with a capacity for 9 million travellers. Ancillary aviation services including cargo related business, hangars, fire station, control tower and maintenance buildings is also including in the wideranging application along with car parking.

The planned €200 million development, 20 km east of Athlone and 80km west of Dublin, is a private initiative led by Tullamore-based architect, Patrick Little, a former President of Tullamore Chamber of Commerce and prominent businessman in the region.

"It's great news, we've been working on this with the board for the last 18 months and now we can move it on further," he told the Westmeath Independent. The project would cater for both passenger traffic and commercial cargo traffic and would include a rail link to the Dublin/Galway line, something Irish Rail are said to be very interested in following preliminary discussions according to the developers.

Backers state in the planning documents that the airport is to act as a reliever airport for Dublin and they expect it to reach 2 million passengers per annum by 2020, pointing out that there is also potential for cargo business of 50,000 tonnes per year.

"We have a number of parties involved. There are a group of investors behind the proposal," he said, adding that the financial commitment was firm and they want to push on with the project. "We hope to be in a position to lodge a planning application with the board, all going well, in around eight months," Mr Little, who drew up the plans, stated this week.

An Bord Pleanala judged the site, 640 hectares close to the M6 motorway with the southern boundary three kilometres to the north of Clara and the most northern boundary 1.5 kilometres to the south west of Horseleap, as relatively "lightly populated" and agreed that size and capability of the airport make it of strategic interest.

The planning appeals board also stated the airport would improve connectivity to the Midlands region and gateway, a key objective of National Spatial Strategy, in its aim to be a reliever airport to Dublin Airport. However, they did judge the ancillary commercial development like a proposed energy park, distribution, commercial technology park and education campus were not strategic and should instead be progressed through the local planning process.

"The business is definitely there for a Midlands airport even if Dublin expands. It could be described as reliever airport to Dublin but we feel it would actually stimulate an increase in air traffic in region of 10%," he said, hopeful that it will now garner support of all the agencies and the public in the region. The airport plans have already elicited a good response from airlines, particularly in the low-cost sector, Mr Little said.

"The airport will create 2,000 people directly by 2020, that's based on our estimates of reaching two million passengers per year. There will be another 2,600 jobs created and another 600 providing services in and out of the airport."

Prior to lodging the official plans, the project backers will embark on a period of consultation with public bodies and any Government departments with an interest in commenting on the development, along with a period of public consultation and the preparation of a Environmental Impact Statement.

"We are looking at hopefully starting work by the end of 2011 and have it operational by the end of 2013 if they aren't any delays," the Tullamore-based architect said, adding that he believes it could stimulate foreign direct investment and Irish distribution companies to locate around the airport providing a major boost to the commercial activity and tourism in the region.

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