Concentrating Schiphol noise pollution more could create room for housing construction

The Board of Government Architects and Government Advisors (CRa) believes that it is worthwhile to spread the noise pollution from Schiphol Airport less in the region. This would mean that fewer residents are hindered by the airport in absolute numbers, and create space for housing construction. The CRa wrote this based on its own research in an open letter to the Ministers of Infrastructure and Water Management and of Housing and Spatial Planning.

According to the CRa, the research report Less Nuisance shows that it is possible to adjust two departure routes, namely the one via Amsterdam Nieuw-West and the route between Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep. “These adjustments will not have any consequences for the capacity of Schiphol, but will result in an enormous noise reduction for tens of thousands of residents. In addition, the disappearance of two noise pollution contours will create space for at least 60,000 new homes in two highly sought-after and easily accessible locations.”

“Over the past half century, urban development has been folded around the noise contours of Schiphol - the result looks like an origami work of art,” said National Advisor for the Physical Environment Wouter Veldhuis. “But now there is no more space. It is therefore high time to reconnect the organization of airspace with the organization of space on the ground.”

According to Infrastructure Minister Barry Madlener (PVV), the proposal has been "insufficiently researched." The minister, through his spokesperson, stated that advisors failed to properly assess the impact on Schiphol.

“The authors of the report did not consult with Schiphol or air traffic control organization LVNL,” Madlener said. He noted that the Netherlands is already working on a new airspace layout. If new departure routes were to be considered, they would not be implemented for several years.

Additionally, the CRa acknowledged that adjusting a departure route with an unchanged number of flight movements will lead to more noise pollution in other places in the region. “But if these adjustments lead to a net significant reduction in the number of people affected and to substantial urbanization opportunities in strategically located areas, there is a compelling social interest in investigating this further in collaboration with the region.” Residents who will experience more nuisance must then be “seriously” compensated.

According to the CRa, further research is needed to further explore the various insights. “Nevertheless, the study shows that there are opportunities to achieve potentially enormous gains in quality of life and opportunities on the ground wth relatively small interventions in airspace.”