Icelandic Coast Guard warns nursing home may face military aircraft noise

The Icelandic Coast Guard has warned that a planned 90-place nursing home at Ásbrú may face more noise from military aircraft using Keflavík Airport than current noise maps indicate, mbl.is reports.

The Coast Guard said military aviation was not included in the area’s noise calculations, meaning actual noise levels could be higher than shown. However, it said numerical data on noise levels and the frequency of military flights were not available.

The planning committee of Reykjanesbær nevertheless approved the proposal and passed the comment to the landholders, who must respond to it at their own responsibility.

The issue is recorded in the minutes of the committee’s 393rd meeting on 7 August. Icelandic Home ehf. plans to convert two apartment buildings at Keilisbraut 753 and 754, containing a total of 81 apartments, into a 90-place nursing home.

The Coast Guard noted that Keflavík Airport is used for both military and civilian aviation. Because of military flights through the airport, it said strict noise insulation requirements should be considered for buildings near the airport during the planning process.

It also said the area’s noise calculations did not account for military aviation and that additional requirements for the building’s design might therefore be necessary.

Gunnar Felix Rúnarsson, chairman of the planning committee, told Morgunblaðið that the committee had repeatedly requested data from the Coast Guard on military aircraft noise and flight frequency but had not received it.

He said the Coast Guard makes similar comments on almost all development projects at Ásbrú, making it difficult for the committee to impose specific noise insulation requirements without numerical data.