Fingal County Council has made a submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland as part of the MetroLink Public Consultation process.

The document reinforces Fingal County Council’s support for the MetroLink project and focuses on five areas required to deliver the project in an efficient and integrated way which will leverage the potential for growth in Swords and Fingal in accordance with Project Ireland 2040.

The five areas addressed in the submission are:

• Integrate with land-use policy
• Minimise community severance
• Place-making and design
• Coordination with other transport proposals
• Maintaining traffic capacity

These have led to Council to propose that:

• MetroLink be routed through Main Street, Swords, representing best value for money in relation to the options proposed by TII and facilitating the optimal regeneration and development of Swords into the future.
• Where the R132 alignment is being considered, the route option should be at surface level to address concerns around visual impact, accessibility and community severance.
• An additional station should be located within the extensive Metro Economic Corridor zoned land bank at Lissenhall.
• The depot buildings should be moved closer to the northern boundary of the Metro Economic Corridor lands, adjacent to the proposed Swords Western Ring Road and further west from the M1
• Estuary station should be relocated south of Lissenhall Bridge in order to serve the very large catchment area which will emerge from the development of Local Area Plans and Masterplans and will provide the vision for these strategically important lands.
• The Metrolink station at Dardistown must be integral to the initial phase of route design and operation to ensure delivery of the existing Local Area Plan. Tunnelling under the M50 will also maximise the development potential of lands in the area and minimise potential adverse visual impacts.

Fingal County Council’s Director of Planning and Strategic Infrastructure, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “Fingal County Council supports the development of the MetroLink project and very much welcomes the opportunity to engage with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority to ensure that the final design is the optimal alignment for MetroLink within Fingal.

“Project Ireland 2040 makes clear the future development strategy for Swords and Fingal is as a sustainable Metropolitan urban extension of Dublin, in the context of the Metrolink and the economic functional unit of Swords-Dublin Airport. Our submission is set against Project Ireland 2040’s ambitious set of goals, the National Strategic Outcomes, and focuses on the five areas required to deliver strong and dynamic growth in an efficient and integrated way and allow us to leverage the potential of Swords and Fingal in accordance with Project Ireland 2040. Fingal County Council believes that making Swords’ Main Street as part of the MetroLink route will facilitate the optimal regeneration and development of the town into the future. “We are confident of the significant benefits that MetroLink will bring to Fingal and the wider Dublin region and look forward to working with all stakeholders to deliver this key piece of transport infrastructure,” said Ms Farrelly.

Fingal County Council has already designated land along the MetroLink route as the Metro Economic Corridor. The purpose of this zoning is to facilitate opportunities for high density mixed use employment generating activity and commercial development, and support the provision of an appropriate quantum of residential development within the Metro Economic Corridor.

Fingal County Council Chief Executive, Paul Reid, said: “Fingal will be transformed by the arrival of MetroLink which will have wide-ranging positive implications for the county and, in particular Swords. We have laid the foundations with the creation of the Metro Economic Corridor and our submission reflects the changes we believe will greatly enhance this vital project.”