News item | 03-10-2025 | 09:06
When Chinook transport helicopters fly over (low), they can cause a rattling sound in or on a home. This is also called ‘rattle noise‘ named. Defense wants to reduce that. Director General Martin Wijnen of Rijkswaterstaat and Lieutenant General Elanor Boekholt signed a cooperation agreement for this yesterday at Gilze-Rijen Air Base. They then visited a home in Hulten where measures are being taken.
Residents living near the air base can: rattle noise experienced as disturbing. To limit the inconvenience, Defense started a pilot at 15 homes together with Rijkswaterstaat. For each home, we examined together with the residents which measures could be most effective. Contractors will start preparations this month. Implementation will start this year at the first houses. The experiences from the pilot will be used to later take appropriate measures in 260 other homes.
Experience with facade insulation
Rijkswaterstaat contributes knowledge and experience through the Facade Insulation project. This program has been around for decades. More than 23,000 homes have already been examined and more than 2,300 houses have been insulated. This happened not only along highways, but also at railway lines, Schiphol and regional airports.
Collaboration with the environment
This is the first project in this area for Defense. The organization is looking for the best approach rattle noise and thus improve the quality of life in the area. This is done together with the municipality of Gilze en Rijen, the Rattle Noise Gilze-Rijen Foundation, local residents and Rijkswaterstaat.