Airport Expansion Plans: ‘An Example Of An Issue At The Heart Of The Climate Crisis’

Published on: 11 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 11 Sep, 2026

Farnborough Airport

By Chris Caulfield

local democracy reporting service

The newly-formed West Surrey Council is expected to throw its weight against expansion at Farnborough Airport.

It comes as a motion reaffirming Waverley Borough Council’s continued opposition to more weekend flights at the site was passed in an effort to protect communities affected by aircraft noise.

Farnborough’s bid to increase the number of flights on weekends and bank holidays from 8,900 a year to 13,500, is now at the hands of a planning inspector.

The airport operators said this was because the original planning authority, in this case neighbouring Rushmoor Borough Council, was taking too long.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the hold-up was due to delays over Farnborough Airport supplying the council with environmental impact assessments.

The motion not only shows Waverley support for its neighbours, but also gears up council staff to urgently take up the fight.

Cllr Steve Williams

Introducing the bid at the full meeting on Tuesday, September 1, was Councillor Steve Williams, the Green Party member for Godalming Binscombe and Charterhouse, .

He said: “Waverley has already made its position absolutely clear on this point.

“In March last year this council overwhelmingly opposed the proposed expansion of Farnborough Airport, recognising the consequences for our residents in terms of increased aircraft noise, poor air quality, damage to our natural environment and critically increased carbon emissions.

“We are not talking about an airport here which provides ordinary people with the occasional family holiday. Farnborough is a private business aviation airport catering for a very small and extraordinary wealthy section of society, and private aviation is extraordinarily carbon intensive.

“A private jet journey can generate many times the emissions per passenger of a commercial flight and vastly more than travelling by rail.

“This is a particularly stark example of an issue at the heart of the climate crisis.

“The benefits are enjoyed by a very small number of people while the environmental and social costs are borne by very many more, and that includes the residents of Waverley. People in Churt, Frensham, Beacon Hill and much further afield already experience the noise and disruption of aircraft using Farnborough.”

Cllr Williams added: “Now there is a very important new development. Rushmoor Borough Council formally requested further environmental information from the airport under the environmental impact assessment regulations because it needed that information to understand the likely effects of the proposal.

“Rushmoor was waiting for that information when the airport decided to take the application to the planning inspectorate on the basis of non-determination, and the appeal has now formally started.

“So effectively Rushmoor can no longer determine the application itself. It has switched to the planning inspectorate.

“That changes what Waverley needs to do, and this motion is very much getting our officers to see exactly what we can do in support of our existing policy.

“We cannot simply say that we oppose the expansions and expect that to be enough, so we are asking that we affirm our opposition to the expansion of the airport, protect our communities from its impact, and request that our officers engage urgently with the relevant officers of Rushmoor Council.”

Cllr Paul Follows

The Leader of Waverley Borough Council, Paul Follows, was at the meeting.

He is also the leader of the newly formed West Surrey Council, which will formally take over in April following the mergers of parts of Surrey County Council with Waverley, Woking, Guildford, Surrey Heath, Runnymede and Spelthorne Borough Councils.

He said: “This is a positive extension of a policy that we have championed across Waverley for the best part of seven years.

“It is also my intention to establish West Surrey’s opposition to this sort of development and I’m sure there will be support across West Surrey for this as well.”