BBI noise protection programme: Around 7,000 BBI neighbours have already received noise protection agreements: let the building work commence

Construction work and compensation amounting to almost €40 million approved / Berlin Airports provides moderate noise protection

2011 will be the year of implementation for the BBI noise protection programme. Berlin Airports has so far sent around 7,000 cost reimbursement agreements (CRAs) to property owners, enabling them to hire builders and trade contractors to install noise protection in their homes.

A total of 42,000 residents in 25,500 residential units are entitled to noise protection. Almost 12,400 completed applications have been submitted. 11,500 of these, i.e. over 90 per cent, have already been processed by Berlin Airports.

On signing the CRAs, Berlin Airports has so far guaranteed the implementation of noise protection measures to the amount of almost €40 million for residents living near the airport. Berlin Airports is expecting a total gross investment volume of €140 million for the BBI noise protection programme. Besides claims for compensation for outdoor areas, the majority of costs arise from the installation of sound-insulating windows and fans. The building measures implemented depend on the given situation recorded for each eligible property owner. The aim is for each resident to have the right to protection.

Berlin Airports is also making good progress on implementing the BBI noise protection programme for public buildings such as kindergartens, schools or nursing homes: out of approx. 50 eligible public buildings, 34 applications have now been filed. Berlin Airports is currently processing 26 of these applications. Three of the buildings entitled to noise protection measures have already been completed: sound-insulating windows and a special ventilation system were installed in the old building of Astrid-Lindgren elementary school and in Wilhelm-Busch elementary school (both Blankenfelde-Mahlow). The Stubenrauchstrasse after-school care club in Eichwalde was reimbursed these costs for extensive modernisation work.

Another element of the BBI noise protection programme is compensation for outdoor areas such as terraces, balconies and allotments. Approx. 10,000 residential units in the area surrounding BBI are eligible. Berlin Airports has drawn up a compensation agreement for more than half of the 3,500 applications filed so far, and already paid compensation for approx. 700 eligible properties.

“We are implementing the noise protection programme within manageable bounds”, said Prof. Dr. Rainer Schwarz, CEO of Berlin Airports. “BBI will not only boost the economy in the decades to come, but also be an employer and neighbour. Such a project therefore requires the support of the people in the region.”

As the BBI noise protection programme progresses, all those involved gain experience. Berlin Airports is therefore continuously expanding its online service for residents, e.g. by regularly updating the range of information available on the BBI noise protection programme to include questions referred to the noise protection experts at Berlin Airports.

Residents can also find comprehensive information on the applications process online. The applications process is clearly defined – from filing an application to billing – in six easy steps. The process takes about a year and applications for noise protection may still be filed up to five years after BBI opens, i.e. until June 2017.