Farnborough airport planning application

Update on when we will determine the planning application

We have agreed with the applicant a new deadline to determine this planning application. This deadline will be 30 June. Please read our updates below for more information.

The planning application

On 6 November 2023, Farnborough Airport Ltd submitted a planning application to: 

• Increase the maximum number of annual aircraft movements from 50,000 to 70,000 per annum, including an increase in non-weekday aircraft movements from 8,900 to 18,900 per annum 

• Amend the aircraft weight category of 50,000 to 80,000 kg to 55,000 to 80,000 kg, and an increase from 1,500 to 2,100 aircraft movements within this category, including an increase from 270 to 570 annual aircraft movements for non-weekdays 

• Replace conditions numbers 7 (1:10,000 risk contour) and 8 (1:100,000 risk contour) of the existing planning permission with a new condition to produce public safety zone maps in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority/Department for Transport requirements 

We validated the application on 10 November 2023, and the planning application reference number is 23/00794/REVPP.

You can see the documents submitted with this planning application on our planning applications website.

Because there are a large number of documents associated with this application, you may want to use the 'filter by' function to help you search for a particular document. You can see a list of all documents submitted with the planning application, including any updated versions, in the Farnborough airport planning application documents list.

Hard copies of all the documents are also available to view at the council offices and at Aldershot library and Farnborough library during opening hours.

Application timescales

The application was submitted in November 2023, and we had agreed a Planning Performance Agreement with Farnborough Airport to determine the application in March 2024. This was to meet the 16-week statutory deadline for Environmental Impact Assessment applications. 

On 24 January 2024, we asked Farnborough Airport Ltd for additional information and clarifications on their application. This took the form of a Regulation 25 and a S.73 additional information request. Farnborough Airport Ltd, on 29 of January 2024, submitted additional information.

Because of the need for additional information, the statutory consultation periods, the considerable public interest in the item and local elections, the original March 2024 deadline was not possible. 

Farnborough Airport Ltd submitted new information in April 2024. We reviewed this information and asked for additional information and clarifications in August 2024. This was done by using a revised Regulation 25 request. We are yet to receive all of the additional information that we requested, but once we do, we may need to carry out a further consultation. 

We have therefore agreed with Farnborough Airport Ltd a new deadline for the determination of this planning application for 30 June 2025.  

Public consultation

Once we have received the additional information that we have asked for, we will carry out additional public consultation. We will only consult once we are satisfied that we have all the information we need to reach a decision on the planning application.

Once we have the additional information from the applicant, we may need to ask for further further information from the applicant.

We will still consider all comments that we have already received when we determine the application.

Consultation on the application

In November 2023, we sent a consultation letter to all properties, including residents, businesses and schools,  in the inbound and outbound flight paths of the airport in the borough of Rushmoor.

We also consulted with the councils and parishes in local authority areas that lie within the 7,000 ft flight path of Farnborough Airport.

We placed newspaper adverts to publicise the consultation with local authorities within the 4,000 ft flight path of Farnborough Airport.

Extending the consultation area

We will consult all those we have consulted previously, or who have commented on the application, on the additional information that we receive from the applicant. 

We will also consult occupiers of all properties within the projected Noise ‘Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level’ (LOAEL) area about the planning application – including those who fall within this area but who are outside of Rushmoor. 

This extension to the consultation area for the planning application is based on the predicted noise impact of the proposals on residential properties. 

To determine if a property is 'affected' by noise for the purposes of consultation, we have adopted a criterion of a +3dB change between the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) and the significant observed adverse effect level (SOAEL) and 2dB above SOAEL. This approach has been used by other airports and has been tested in the courts. 

How to comment

The deadline for us to receive comments was Sunday 17 December 2023, which is in line with statutory timescales. This was an extension on the original deadline of 4 December 2023. It is at our discretion to accept additional comments after the deadline.

Comment by using our planning applications system

If you use our planning applications website to provide your comments on the application, there is a 500-character limit for your main comments. 

Once you start completing your form for comments, there is also a 30-minute time limit. After 30 minutes, the form will reset, and you will have to start the form again. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare your comments before you start typing them into the form. 

Comment by email

You can also send in your comments by email at farnboroughairport@rushmoor.gov.uk, where there is no limit for the length of your comments.