Airport noise: Lisbon only plans to support 3,600 out of 100,000 houses

A Lisbon Municipal Assembly (AML) today approved the regulation of the Less Noise Program, which should support works in about 3,600 houses affected by the operation of Humberto Delgado Airport, of the potential 100,000 that can apply.

The regulation, which had been approved at a meeting of the Lisbon City Council at the end of July, was discussed in the session of the AML and approved with the abstention of BE, PCP, PEV and PAN and the favorable votes of PSD, CDS-PP, IL, Ajuda, PS and Livre.

The assembly also approved a recommendation from the Free, with the votes against PSD, CDS-PP and IL, so that the House will extend to the Government and the airport manager ANA the strengthening of the available funds and the “accountability of the managing body in application of the polluter-pays principle”.

This concerns the Less Noise Programme, created by the Government, with EUR 10 million to improve the sound insulation of noise-affected housing at Humberto Airport Delgado in the municipalities of Almada, Lisbon, Loures and Vila Franca de Xira.

The CML has an overall allocation of €2.798,730 from the Environmental Fund to support “interventions in residential buildings located in areas identified as critical, including the replacement or reinforcement of insulation in windows, frames and case boxes, where there is relevant exposure to aeronautical noise”.

Councilman Vasco Anjos (indicated by IL) admitted that the amount is not what he would like, but it is the one with which the leadership executive PSD/CDS-PP/IL has to work.

“ We work in the realm of the possible and not the desirable and, making use of this money, we promote an effort to support as many fires as possible, of the 100,000 that are on the map of noise, which are covered by the operation ", highlighted, adding that "it was the purpose of the executive to promote support to approximately 3,600 fires".

According to the person responsible, the executive of Carlos Coins (PSD) also urged the Government “to strengthen funds for 2027 under the agreement already signed, and therefore the process will continue” next year.

By the PS, Elisa Madureira recalled that the previous action plan to mitigate the noise of the airport provided for certain soundproofing works to be supported by ANA, as an airport operator, “obligation that has not been fully fulfilled” and that, “with the new mechanism, part of this responsibility comes to be supported through public funding, having the residents themselves to assume a significant share of the costs”.

“ This solution raises serious reservations about the application of the polluter-pays principle, since the environmental costs of airport activity should fall at first instance on those who cause them and not on the taxpayers and municipalities affected ", defended the socialist.

Fábio Sousa, from the PCP, pointed out the limitations of funding, which should allow to support only about 3,658 housing, that is, approximately 3.68% of the universe of 100,000 exposed to the noise of the airport operation in the municipality, recalling that they are also excluded “schools, universities, public equipment and other spaces of collective use where thousands of people spend a significant part of their day”.

The Social Democrat Luís Almeida Mendes argued that the money “is never enough”, but “for the PSD, a responsible public policy requires attention to people, rigor in the use of public money and monitoring, requires execution, monitoring and accountability, requires recognition when it is necessary to strengthen or correct a response”.

At the end of the debate, Councilman Vasco Anjos stressed that “the program guarantees that 20% of the funds available are for social support, that is, people without means will benefit from a mechanism by which they are increased by 20% in support” and “receive 80% to the head, before making the expense”, receiving the remaining 20% after verifying the installation of the equipment.

At today's session a vote of repudiation of the PS was also unanimously approved for the claims of the insurer Loyalty related to the victims of the accident of the lift of Gloria, as well as a recommendation from the municipal socialist group for “the strengthening of transparency, the reasoning of decisions and democratic scrutiny in the exercise of the legal right of preference of the municipality of Lisbon on public real estate”.

AML also approved a recommendation from the PAN “for the adoption of new municipal measures to combat the Lisbon housing crisis, for the mobilization of the available housing heritage and for the strengthening of dialogue with civic movements for housing” and one from the CFP “for an urgent and definitive solution to safeguard the Academy of Music Amateurs”.