Residents living near Schiphol at about 4,600 addresses in Haarlemmermeer and Amstelland are eligible for compensation for noise nuisance. This concerns residents who lived in the vicinity of lived at a so-called enforcement point whose noise limit value has been exceeded. This is reported by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
There are enforcement points around Schiphol with limit values for the maximum amount of noise that may be generated. Compliance with the limit values is assessed on the basis of these enforcement points.
But because those rules have not been laid down in law for years, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) could not issue fines or warnings if those limit values were exceeded. Partly due to the lack of those legal frameworks, Minister Harbers of Infrastructure has decided that Schiphol must shrink.
In 2020, nine local residents indicated that they had suffered damage and submitted requests for financial compensation. An independent committee ruled that the lack of enforcement by the Inspectorate has led to a loss of enjoyment of living.
2,200 euros
The Ministry has adopted the advice and has had it investigated how many other residents of Haarlemmermeer, Uithoorn, Aalsmeer and Amstelveen are facing similar circumstances. According to the ministry, this concerns about 4,600 addresses. It is expected that the majority of the compensation will be between 50 and 2,200 euros.
“Fantastic news for all those thousands of residents!”, responds resident representative Mirella Visser from Uithoorn. “They are now being recognized that they had too much noise nuisance. The government has finally listened and is taking responsibility.”
Dead sparrow
Nevertheless, Visser is wary: “Of course we still have to wait and see whether there will be a delivery, because this should not be a dead sparrow.”