NEA commits S$1.3m to 41 projects in efforts to manage construction noise

SINGAPORE's National Environment Agency (NEA) has committed S$1.3 million to 41 projects which have applied for its Quieter Construction Fund (QCF) since it was introduced in April 2014.

The QCF, which reimburses companies for up to 50 per cent of the cost of purchase or leasing of supported quieter construction equipment and techniques, aims to incentivise companies to adopt quieter construction solutions that are not readily adopted by the industry due to the higher costs involved, said NEA in a statement.

As of March 2016, the QCF has received a total of 85 applications from construction companies for the co-investment of quieter construction equipment, noise control equipment and/or innovative noise reduction solutions.

Given the encouraging take-up rate, NEA is extending the QCF application period by two more years till end-March 2018. In addition, the agency will increase the funding caps for supported quieter construction equipment and techniques under the QCF.

Currently, the maximum grant that can be disbursed to each project site is capped at S$100,000, or 5 per cent of the project contract value, whichever is lower.

From April 1, the funding cap will be increased to S$200,000. The maximum disbursable funding for the buying or leasing of quieter construction equipment has also been raised from S$50,000 to S$150,000 and S$6,000 to S$9,000 respectively, depending on equipment cost.