Plan to widen insulation eligibility for homes by airport

The Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA), which regulates aircraft noise around Dublin Airport, is proposing to relax eligibility criteria for home insulation grants for residents impacted by airport noise. This initiative is linked to a planning application by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to increase the airport's passenger capacity.

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It will allow greater eligibility than any other scheme in the past has. It will enlarge the eligibility of the local communities around the airport. It will address a 24-hour period for noise consideration.

Currently, Fingal County Council is reviewing the DAA's application to raise the passenger cap from 32 million to 40 million per year. The government also plans legislation to remove this cap entirely. As passenger numbers potentially rise, the ANCA suggests expanding eligibility for home insulation to those experiencing an average of 60 decibels or more of aircraft noise.

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In the past, the schemes have not thought about the 24-hour aspect of noise insulation. We're confident that it will benefit the communities.

Ethna Felten, Director of the ANCA, stated that the proposed scheme aims to benefit more people living near the airport by considering noise over a 24-hour period, a factor not previously included. The goal is to reduce noise within homes by five decibels, a reduction equivalent to doubling the distance from the noise source. The estimated cost for this improvement is around €40,000 per home, with the scheme designed to be reviewed annually.

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The target is, within homes, to reduce noise by five decibels. That's kind of an important figure because the reduction of five decibels is almost equivalent to doubling the distance from the aircraft noise itself.

While residents acknowledge the potential benefits of an improved insulation scheme, concerns have been raised regarding proposed changes to the ANCA's Noise Abatement Objective (NAO). Niamh Maher of the St Margaret's The Ward Resident Association noted that the existing NAO targets for reducing noise impact on communities have not been met and are unlikely to be met in the future. She expressed apprehension that altering these objectives might not be a favorable trade-off for the community.

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There are certain objectives that have been set up by the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority to try and reduce the impact of noise on communities called the noise abatement objectives and, unfortunately, those haven't been met over the past few years and likely will not be met again for 2026.