A consultation about Farnborough Airport, launched by Rushmoor Borough Council, will help shape the borough for the next ten years, its chief executive has said.

The exercise, which is running alongside airport operator TAG’s own consultation, will make up part of the Rushmoor Local Plan.

Both surveys follow the news that TAG hopes to gain permission to up the number of flights allowed at the airport from 28,000 a year to 50,000.

The finished Rushmoor Local Plan will set out how the council sees the area developing in the long term.

Andrew Lloyd, the council’s chief executive, is concerned that people might not realise there are two consultations.

He called the council’s consultation, which is launched on January 12, “the first step” in drawing up the Rushmoor Local Plan.

The document — due to be published in 2011 — will strongly influence whether permission is granted for everything from the number of flights at the airport to building new homes.

It is replaced every 15 years and the council is starting to draw up the plan that will govern changes from 2011-26.

The airport consultation focuses on the increase in flights but its results will be used to identify issues for the plan, such as the impact of an increased number of flights on people in the borough.

The council will begin consulting on the Rushmoor Local Plan as a whole in the autumn.

Mr Lloyd hopes as many people as possible will respond to the council’s airport consultation as well as taking part in TAG’s research.

TAG has organised a number of exhibitions and has sent out 70,000 flyers to homes.

The council is worried people may be confused and will respond either to TAG’s consultation or theirs, but not both.

The council will make the decision over whether or not to grant planning permission for the increase in flights from 28,000 to 50,000 a year.

Mr Lloyd said: “Our consultation is not just about the increase but the long-term future of the airport and its relationship with the borough.

“We will take all the answers into account before we consult on a new Rushmoor Local Plan that applies to the whole borough, not just the airport.”

He added that each plan acts as a foundation for its successor, so the results of this consultation should extend beyond 2026.

The council’s airport consultation lasts until February 20.

The questionnaire will ask whether people’s main concerns about the proposed increased flights are related to the environment, the economy or safety.

It will gauge opinions on the airport’s biennial airshow and about the impact of the increase of flights on places near the airport, such as Cody Technology Park and Farnborough Industrial Estate.

The questions to be included in the consultation were tested at a special event at the Princes Hall, Aldershot, in December. Members of the Rushmoor Citizens’ Panel answered the questions and gave feedback on whether they addressed their concerns.

Residents will be able to say how they could be most inconvenienced by flight plans — at night, at the weekend or during the working week.

People selected at random from across the borough will be canvassed by telephone.

Mr Lloyd said: “We’re not talking yet about specific decisions like changing the noise levels allowed from the airport or saying we want to work towards revitalising certain areas of the borough.”

He added: “The challenge to us as the local authority is to strike a balance between the wishes of the public and what we think needs to be done.”

Council spokeswoman Karen Edwards said: “We want to give people the chance to influence the future of the borough, not just for them but for their children and their grandchildren.”

She said the current Rushmoor Local Plan, which came into effect in 1996, has had a profound effect on the borough.

The plan includes commitments to regenerate the Queensmead shopping centre in Farnborough and revitalise the town centre. It also says the borough needs more hotel accommodation. The Aviator Hotel opened in July last year.

All responses will be given equal weight — it does not depend on how near you live to the airport.

The council is set to complete a draft plan by February 2011. It will then be assessed, and possibly amended, by the government. The council expects to adopt the final version in October 2011.

Mr Lloyd added: “Legally, we do not have to consult at this stage, but the councillors thought it would be best to do so. We’re consulting at this early stage and will be consulting every step of the way.”

Copies of the questionnaire will be available at www.rushmoor.gov.uk from January 12, with paper copies available at the council offices in Farnborough Road.

People will be able to request that copies be sent to them by telephoning the council on 01252 398398.