Two houses near Eindhoven Airport have been bought because they are experiencing too much nuisance from the airport. The noise and nuisance are so bad that measures such as insulation offer no solution. The money paid for the buyout comes from the Liveability Fund, which is intended to improve the environment of the airport.
It concerns two houses on the Kerkheide in Wintelre. The sale was finalized at the end of last year after a process of years, confirms Jeroen Weekers, chairman of the Eindhoven Airport Liveability Foundation. Talks are currently being held with a third local resident who is also eligible for buyout.
‘Harrowing cases’
The jar of the Liveability Fund is filled by various parties:
- Eindhoven Airport,
- province of Brabant,
- the Ministry of Defence,
- the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment,
- municipality of Eindhoven and other surrounding municipalities.
One million euros of the fund is earmarked for projects aimed at improving the living environment of the airport. 750,000 euros will go to health research.
Another part is used to buy out three ‘distressing cases’, according to reports from the fund. Weekers does not want to say how much money is involved. “Then it becomes clear how much is paid for the houses and we don’t want that.”
Too much noise and nuisance
The three houses have already been classified as ‘distressing cases’ in 2019. Pieter van Geel then published a report on the future of Eindhoven Airport and the living environment. In that report he concluded that customization was needed for ‘special individual situations’. Even then it turned out that measures such as isolation did not offer a solution for a number of people. The nuisance and noise is too bad in these places.
An important detail is that these people have long lived in this place just below the runway. Other people in the same neighborhood are therefore not eligible for the scheme. “These are people who have lived here all their lives, long before the airport was expanded. They are experiencing very serious nuisance due to the growth of the airport,” explains Staf Depla. He is chairman of the Eindhoven Airport Consultation, which puts Van Geel’s advice into practice.
“I am pleased that a wish that was on paper has now also been fulfilled. The money has been paid from a separate pot within the fund, to which all parties have contributed.”
‘smallpox noise’
Klaas Kopinga is chairman of Belangenvereniging Omwonenden Welschap and he is aware of the buyout. According to him, these are indeed special situations in which ‘people are really in a bit of a commotion’. “Nowadays no new houses should be built in these places. The nuisance is too bad for that.”
It is not the case that local residents who feel that they experience nuisance from the airport are now also eligible. The money is only intended for these three cases, emphasize Weekers and Depla. It is not yet clear what will happen to the houses, but according to Weekers, at least no more people will be living there.
Omroep Brabant spoke to one of the residents, but he did not want to respond further.
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