Airport “noise map” to be drawn up

Joan Collins THE deputy mayor of the Town Planning Department, Javier Rodrigo de Santos, has announced that in the next few days AENA (the Spanish Airports Authority) is due to approve the “acoustic footprint” map (or noise map) which has been drawn up for the areas around the Son Sant Joan airport. The map includes all the areas close to the airport which are affected by above average levels of noise because of their proximity to the airport. This is part of the Soundproofing Plan. AENA has to subsidise the installation of soundproofing in all of the homes in the affected areas. De Santos expressed his concern that AENA could possibly exclude some of the areas identified in the first draft of the “acoustic footprint” map, “as part of a political strategy which later would allow AENA to contest the noise level and therefore negotiate the subsidy”. In answer to this, De Santos said that “the council does not share this strategy and nor will it permit the residents who live in the affected areas to have their protection removed”. In October 2005, de Santos asked the central Ministry of the Environment to include in the “acoustic footprint” map the areas of Coll d'en Rebassa, Can Pastilla and Sa Casa Blanca. He also asked them to add Sant Jordi. De Santos also said that the commission for action on the “acoustic footprint” maps, of which the council forms part, would shortly be meeting. They will then go to see the home-owners in the affected parts of Palma officially so that they (the homeowners) can ask to be included in the Soundproofing Plan. After approval by the commission of the inclusion of these homes in the Plan, measures of the noise levels will be taken in these homes to determine the necessary level of soundproofing. After this, the homeowners in the approved houses must present an estimate and plan for the work. However, the soundproofing of all homes which have more than 65 decibels of noise during the day, from 7am to 11pm, and 55 decibels during the night, from 11pm until 7am, will be done by the companies which designed the houses and they will bill AENA direct.