Noise Insulation Scheme

The Noise Insulation Grant Scheme (NIS) has been established by Aberdeen International Airport Limited ("Aberdeen International Airport") to provide an opportunity for eligible properties (as set out below) to apply for a noise insulation grant.  The NIS reflects our aim to be respectful of the local community and our impact on people who live and learn in close proximity to Aberdeen International Airport. 

The management of the NIS is overseen by an independent management committee made up of airport managers and representatives of the local communities, known as the Airport Consultative Committee (ACC).

For more information regarding the ACC, please visit Airport Consultative Committee (ACC).

Any grant awarded under the NIS will be subject to the terms and conditions set out in the relevant grant award letter issued by or on behalf of Aberdeen International Airport.

We recognise that aircraft and helicopters arriving at and departing from Aberdeen Airport can sometimes cause disturbance to nearby communities.

The aim of the Noise Insulation Scheme (NIS) is to help reduce the impact of aircraft noise within eligible homes and noise-sensitive buildings. Through the scheme, eligible properties may apply for funding towards appropriate noise insulation measures. The focus is on habitable rooms, such as bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and kitchen/diners, where people spend most of their time, helping to provide improved protection from aircraft noise.

The Noise Insulation Grant Scheme (NIS) is available to eligible homes, hospitals and schools that were built before 1 February 2023, when the scheme was first introduced.

Each year, Aberdeen Airport assesses aircraft (including helicopters) noise using summer flight data, including aircraft types, flight numbers, flight paths and operating times. This information is used to produce a noise contour map, which shows the most up to date average aircraft noise levels around the airport.

The UK Government recommends considering noise insulation schemes at 63 dB LAeq. Aberdeen Airport uses a lower threshold of 60 dB LAeq, allowing more properties to be eligible for support. The latest noise contour map can be viewed here.

The maximum available amount of NIS grant funding which may be awarded is limited to £5,000 (inclusive of VAT) per eligible property. Applicants should review applicable terms and conditions carefully to ensure that the maximum value of grant award specified is understood and that the applicant does not unintentionally instruct works with the contractor at a cost in excess of this maximum available grant amount (taking account of any VAT which may be payable).

Applicants should be aware that any sums payable by the applicant for noise insulation works in excess of the amount of specified grant award (including any amounts in respect of VAT) will be the sole responsibility of the applicant.

Important

- The maximum grant available is £5,000 including VAT.

- If the total cost of works exceeds your grant amount, you will be responsible for paying the difference directly to your contractor.

- For example, if your approved works cost £5,400 including VAT and your grant award is £5,000, you would need to pay the remaining £400.

Aberdeen Airport will appoint an independent acoustic consultant to survey eligible properties that apply to the NIS. The survey will assess whether noise insulation measures could help reduce aircraft noise within the property and, where appropriate, recommend suitable improvements.

The cost of the survey will be met by the Airport and will not be deducted from your £5,000 grant award. There is no obligation to proceed following the survey, and our Noise Insulation Scheme team will be happy to discuss your options with you.

Recommended measures are designed to improve the sound insulation performance of the parts of the property most affected by noise, typically windows, external doors and ventilation openings serving habitable rooms.

Depending on the existing performance of your property, recommendations may include:

• Replacement/enhanced windows;
• Acoustic air vents or simple wall mounted ventilation systems;
• Loft insulation; and/or
• Replacement/enhanced external doors.

Not all properties will benefit from additional insulation measures. Where the survey identifies that no meaningful improvement can be achieved, or that proposed measures could adversely affect acoustic performance, no works will be recommended.

Where multiple measures are recommended, you may choose which works to proceed with. However, partial implementation may not achieve the same level of noise reduction as completing all recommended works. Any products installed must meet the specification set out in the survey report.

Please note that if the cost of the works you choose is less than your approved grant amount, any unused funding cannot be claimed later and will be forfeited.

Following the survey, your details will be shared with our delivery partner, and they will arrange a visit to:

• Explain the scheme and its terms and conditions
• Discuss your requirements and priorities
• Assess the property and recommend suitable measures
• Advise on the most effective use of the grant funding
• Manage the project through to installation

As explained above, the cost of any work not falling within the recommended works (or in excess of the recommended works) will not be recoverable under an NIS grant award. So additional works relating to windows in bathrooms, hallways or landings would need to be funded at the sole cost of the property owner.  In the event that an applicant intends to instruct additional works, the contractor will require to provide separate invoices for works covered by the NIS grant funding and those which are not.

If your property falls within the published noise contour in any given year, we will write to you before the relevant NIS application deadline and provide an information pack setting out how to apply for the NIS.  We will also write to the local authority of the affected areas to determine if any of the eligible properties are owned by social housing companies or are community noise sensitive buildings such as hospitals and schools. If you are a tenant of a private or council owned property, you should make contact with your landlord to discuss how best to make an application. 

It is not compulsory for a homeowner to participate in the NIS.  Residents may decline to participate but may still apply in a later year should you change your mind.

Please be aware that eligibility to apply for a grant does not entitle you to receive any funding under the NIS, the decision to award funding based on an application is made at the sole discretion of the Aberdeen International Airport and the ACC.

You can only apply for the NIS where you are the property owner. Where you are a tenant of a Local Authority you should make the relevant department within the authority aware of your property's eligibility. Councils may choose to apply collectively on behalf of tenants. For council owned properties, we will contact the relevant department of the council at the same time as making contact with you. We must receive written agreement from the council confirming that they have no objection to the proposed works.

You can only apply for the NIS where you are the property owner.  Where you are a tenant of a private landlord you should ask the landlord to apply directly for the NIS. Correspondence will be sent to the eligible property addressed to the “homeowner”. We recommend that if you wish for your landlord to apply, that you forward this leaflet onto them as a matter of priority.

When the scheme is released, Aberdeen Airport will write directly to eligible properties within the 60dB contour as explained in section 3. Eligibility will be based on the most up to date contour available at the time. There is no need to contact us. The homeowner will be requested to register within the allotted time frame as stipulated in the invitation letter. Aberdeen International Airport will then consider applications in accordance with the term of the NIS and propose properties to be surveyed for insulation works to the Airport Consultative Committee.

Any grant awarded under the NIS will be subject to the terms and conditions set out in the relevant documentation issued by or on behalf of Aberdeen International Airport. For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no binding relationship between Aberdeen International Airport and an applicant until such time as the applicant has accepted the award of the grant.

Aberdeen International Airport is happy to support residents in completing their application. Please let us know if this is the case by contacting us at [email protected] or by telephone number ((+44 (0) 1273 526004).

If you disagree with our decision on whether to offer insulation of your home in terms of this NIS, you may appeal to the ACC.  Details of how to appeal are available at the ACC page.

The decision of the ACC on any such appeal will be final. The appeal is established on a case-by-case basis.