Introduction
I am delighted to be here this afternoon at the announcement of this exciting new development at Dublin Airport.
In tandem with Ireland’s dramatic economic and social progress, Dublin Airport has seen phenomenal traffic growth in recent years – from around 5 million passengers in 1990, to over 23 million last year.
With numbers set to rise to about 30 million by the middle of the next decade, Dublin Airport is the fastest growing major airport in Europe, and one of the busiest.
To meet this ever-increasing demand, the Dublin Airport Authority is completely transforming facilities and services at the Airport – with a new passenger terminal, two new boarding gate areas, and a new runway, as well as the total package of utilities, airfield services and IT facilities needed to serve over 30 million passengers annually.
NDP/T21
Ireland ’s success in recent years is based on many factors, including strategic and far-sighted investments in education in the past. Our challenge, and our responsibility, is to build on this success and to create the right environment for prosperity over the years and decades ahead.
The National Development Plan is a comprehensive investment framework for the economic and social development of the country. It includes a €100 billion public capital programme, which will see an annual commitment of around 6% of GNP to developing physical infrastructure appropriate to our twenty-first century needs.
Around one-third of this capital investment is accounted for by the ten-year Transport 21 framework, including a fully integrated transport system for the Greater Dublin Area.
Dublin ’s connections to the rest of the island will be strengthened significantly by completion of the five major inter-urban routes, which the NRA is on target to deliver by 2010.
The first of these major inter-urban routes was completed last year with the opening of the final section of the M1, providing motorway standard road from Dublin Port to the Border.
Balanced Regional Development
Of course, the entire island is recording huge levels of population growth, driven primarily by high inward migration – some projections are for an island population of over 7 million by 2020. Intelligent spatial planning is therefore crucial to sustainable growth across the island.
That is why the National Spatial Strategy is at the very heart of the unprecedented levels of investment provided for under the NDP.
It is unhelpful that some commentators choose to see the National Spatial Strategy as somehow running counter to the idea of successful Dublin. It is also a complete misrepresentation. In fact, a vibrant, prosperous Dublin has never been more important to national success.
Let us be very clear that we have to unlock the full potential of all the regions – and of the island economy – if we are to meet our aspirations for sustainable economic, social and environmental development.
That means a successful Dublin capable of matching other leading European cities as a magnet for investment and tourism, with strong links to other regional growth centres on the island, as well as strong and prosperous rural communities.
This is not a zero-sum game. Our spatial planning and regional development can serve the entirely complementary interests of Dublin and the rest of the island in equal measure.
Dublin Airport City
Dublin’s development will increasingly depend on building clusters of knowledge-based enterprise, both Irish and multinational, with strong links to our education and research system.
Established clusters include the IFSC and the Docklands to the east of the city centre and Heuston to the west. A north-south axis is also emerging in the city centre and there are other commercial clusters outside the city, such as Sandyford Industrial Estate and City West Business Park.
In today’s knowledge-intensive global economy, Dublin Airport is well-placed to develop its potential as a strategic gateway for national development – and to play a crucial role in attracting the next generation of mobile international investment into Ireland.
That is why I am delighted to lend my strong support to the DAA masterplan being outlined here this afternoon, providing for the development of a world class business and research zone to be known as Dublin Airport City.
The DAA masterplan reflects a level of ambition and vision that is entirely appropriate to the standing that Ireland now enjoys as one of the success stories of this globalised era.
Located in the vicinity of Europe’s eighth largest international airport, and served directly by the new metro and our growing motorway network, this exciting new business zone can grow into a dynamic new economic hub for the Greater Dublin area.
It also has real potential to contribute to a strengthening of the all-island economy through its strategic location on the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor.
Dublin Airport City is expected to include 600,000 square metres of high quality, next generation office space, accompanied by a further 40,000 square metres of retail, hotel and conference facilities. Phased development over a 15-20 year period will deliver a range of business services to rival any business campus, anywhere in the world.
Initial estimates are that full implementation of the DAA masterplan will see it contribute in the region €1 billion annually to the national economy.
The development of the landbank available to the DAA is not intended to take away from the quality and efficiency of the service available at the Airport. In fact, it can underpin the financial future of Dublin Airport by supporting future capital investment at the Airport and ensure ongoing enhancement of services and facilities consistent with the growth in demand that is predicted over the years ahead.
EU Reform Treaty
Before I leave you today, I just want to say a few words about the referendum on the EU Reform Treaty.
Dublin Airport is not a bad place from which to speak about Europe or the wider world, being Ireland’s most important gateway to both.
The Reform Treaty is about three main things: making Europe more effective and efficient internally; making Europe more democratic; and making Europe more effective in the World.
Ireland today is one of the most globalised nations: that is our strength. We are now being asked whether we are prepared to engage effectively with our European partners to contribute to shaping our destiny, or stand to one side and let others shape it for us.
Europe needs to get better at supporting and sustaining economic growth, creating and protecting jobs, and playing its role in managing global challenges such as climate change, energy security or migration in line with Irish and European values. The Treaty is about giving it the capacity to do just that.
As a group, you hardly need reminding how important our membership of the Union is to our current and future prosperity. There can be only one answer on June 12 that serves Ireland’s interest.
I hope that the Treaty is endorsed with a resounding Yes vote.
Conclusion
The exciting plans being unveiled today provide a blueprint for the development of a world class Airport City, creating one of Europe’s premier airport economic zones for global companies.
Dublin Airport City can deliver a vibrant new economic hub for the country, advancing Ireland to the next stage in our development as one of the most successful economies in Europe.
I have every confidence that the project will deliver on the ambition that is rightly being set for it. And I wish the Dublin Airport City project every success as it moves forward in the years ahead.
Thank you very much for your attention.
ENDS.