DUBLIN PORT MASTERPLAN DUBLIN PORT COMPANY
this rate of growth continuing, we do foresee that the pattern of annual compounding growth evident in decades past will continue for years to come. On the tourist side, Dublin Port is bigger than Shannon Airport and not too far behind Cork Airport in terms of passenger numbers. Last year we had two million passengers including 1.8 million on ferries.
Q: Could you tell us about the first review of the Dublin Port Masterplan?
A: Having received planning permission for the ABR Project, we now have clarity on about one-third of the development envisaged in our Masterplan. Moreover, following on from the commencement of our development of Dublin Inland Port, we have created new options to provide additional capacity. Taking these together and looking at our return to high levels of annual growth, we launched a first review of the Masterplan 2012 to 2040 in January this year. We have completed a public consultation which attracted more than 60 thoughtful and detailed submissions in response to our revised ideas of how we would develop in the future. These ideas include: an increase in our growth planning assumption from 2.5 per cent per year to 3.3 per cent; the more intensive use of our lands as a result of the development of Dublin Inland Port; development InBUSINESS | Q1 2017
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of our lands on the Poolbeg Peninsula to create more capacity; and, importantly, confirmation that we would not have to return to a controversial infill project to provide the port capacity needed for our projected growth to 2040. We are planning to publish our reviewed Masterplan in the summer and, based on this, to bring a second large Strategic Infrastructure Development project forward to An Bord Pleanála within the next two years.
Q: How is Brexit expected to impact business and what measures is Dublin Port Company taking to navigate any knock-oneffect?
A: Given that there are two years for the economy to absorb and adapt to the negative impacts of Brexit, we do not believe that there will be any very serious impact on the business of Dublin Port Company; certainly nothing like we saw following the economic collapse in 2008. However, there will be challenges from the reintroduction of customs controls. When these were removed in the early 1990s, the number of freight vehicles on ferries to Britain was about 100,000. Last year, the equivalent figure was over 800,000. To put the possible impact into context, if we had to provide a large yard to take all of the freight vehicles arriving every morning into Dublin on ferries from Holyhead prior to them being checked by Customs, this yard
would be the size of three football fields. However, I am confident having met the Customs officials faced with the challenge of re-implementing border checks that the impact will be nowhere as severe.
Q: How are the port’s growth projections for 2017?
A: Last year we grew by 6.3 per cent. This year we are budgeting for growth of 5 per cent. So far, in the first quarter, we have seen growth of 4.2 per cent. With unemployment continuing to fall and the economy continuing to grow, I think we will end
Bottle site was bought for a comparatively modest a17m per acre. We have turned in recent years to the arts and to try to rebuild the connection between Dublin Port and Dublin city and to increase the appreciation of the port in all its aspects. On the infrastructure side, this has resulted in the Diving Bell on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and, by September this year we will have redeveloped the area around Port Centre on East Wall Road to create a new and welcoming maritime garden with spectacular industrial heritage installations.
During the boom years, we saw mad ideas about selling the lands of Dublin Port for a25bn and moving all of the operations and activities to a new port north of Dublin. 2017 in or around our budgeted increase of 5 per cent for the full year. Given the scale of the challenge to develop port capacity for the future, a lower rather than higher growth rate is no bad thing for us.
Q: Any other news or plans you can share with InBUSINESS at this time?
A: I think that the biggest single challenge we face in Dublin Port is to ensure that the importance of the port is well understood. During the boom years, we saw mad ideas about selling the lands of Dublin Port for a25bn and moving all of the operations and activities to a new port north of Dublin. This suggested price is equivalent to a39m per acre. The Irish Glass
On the softer side, we commissioned the Starboard Home song cycle last year with the National Concert Hall. This year we are running our Port Perspectives visual arts project which includes an exhibition of the works of the Antwerp port artist Eugeen Van Mieghem in the Hugh Lane Gallery (until June 11th); the commissioning of new works by three artists; a huge programme with local communities and schools to produce works about the port and the city and the connection between them. Finally, we are also very proud to support Jesse Jones’ Tremble Tremble installation representing Ireland at the Venice Art Biennale 2017.
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