WASHINGTON: The Dublin Port Company has shelved plans to infill 20 hectares of Dublin Bay to allow for future port expansion. Announcing the company’s annual results, chief executive Eamonn O’Reilly said the creation of a new ‘inland’ port near Dublin Airport would free up 30 hectares of land in the existing port campus, removing the need to infill the bay. The company is also planning to create a port ‘heritage trail’ and a public walkway in the city, under a review of its masterplan up to 2040. It comes as figures show that trade grew for the fourth year in a row, up 6.3pc, with 34.9 million tonnes of goods travelling through Dublin last year.
Last August, the Dublin Port Company purchased 44 hectares of land near Dublin Airport. About 14km from the port, it will be accessed through the Port Tunnel and be known as ‘Dublin Inland Port’. It will store some 20,000 empty shipping containers, freeing up around 30 hectares in the port. Planning permission will be sought in the coming weeks.
