Weston Airport operator gets permission to upgrade facilities
Gordon Deegan
The operator of Weston Airport has secured permission for an upgrade to the terminal buildings at the airport.
Weston Aviation Academy Ltd got the go-ahead from South Dublin County Council after Stripe co-founder John Collison and a group of investors purchased a majority stake in the business.
The airport site straddles the Dublin-Kildare border and lies to the west of Lucan and south of Leixlip.
In planning documentation lodged with the application, senior planner at Tom Phillips + Associates Bernard Dwyer told the council that “the current operators are seeking to modernise and enhance the existing airport facilities”.
Mr Dwyer explained: “The current proposed upgrades are being sought to create a more coherent unified facility with improved linkages between the various buildings.”
Mr Dwyer said the proposed improvements to the entrance and the inclusion of the arrivals and departure vestibules “are intended to create a more coherent and rational layout to the ground floor building”.
The planning submission states that the National Flight Centre at Weston is one of Europe’s oldest and most respected flight academies.
The existing flight training centre is located in a hangar building located close to the terminal building and a “proposed covered walkway between the two buildings will allow for greater comfort for individuals travelling between the two buildings”.
Advancing the case for the application, Mr Dwyer states that “the proposed development will enhance the operational efficiency as well as the safety and security of Weston Airport”.
No objections were lodged against the planned upgrade. The council's planning report found the project would not have an adverse impact on the residential amenity of the nearest dwellings, as the nearest residential buildings are approximately 550m to the east of the site along Cooldrinagh Lane.
The latest accounts for Weston Aviation Academy Ltd show that it made a loss of €121,650 in the year to June 30th, 2021, due to Covid-19 air travel restrictions.
It had a shareholders’ deficit of just under €2.67 million at the year-end. The accounts state that the airport has “traded successfully” since re-opening.
