LATEST consultation over plans to expand the runway at Southampton Airport closes next week.

Airport bosses have confirmed that the public consultation over plans to expand the runway by 164m has been extended to August 31.

But civic chiefs have also confirmed that another consultation will follow as more information is set to be made available.

The news comes as last month airport bosses submitted revised proposals to Eastleigh Borough Council.

A public consultation was expected to close on August 10.

But members of Airport eXpansion Opposition (AXO) said new information has been added recently.

A spokesperson for AXO said: “We have been scratching our heads about a lot of the airport’s pollution figures for some time - they just don’t appear to stack up. Then one of our members noticed on Friday that new data had been posted on the Eastleigh planning website. This meant that local people affected would have no chance to read it and comment before the doors closed after the weekend.”

A council spokesperson confirmed that the consultation has been extended to August 31.

“In discussion with the applicant the omission of appendices in support of the amended Environmental Statement were identified and now provided. To be open and transparent the council placed these documents on our website,” the council said.

A spokesperson for the authority confirmed that more information is to be provided and there will be a new consultation in the future but timescale and further details are yet to be confirmed. In a statement the council said: “There will be a further round of consultation and the exact date is dependent on the timings of further submissions. This will formally reopen the period of publicity for a further 30 days. We are not in a position to confirm what the information will be at this stage which will be influenced by the responses following the recent consultation process.”

Steve Thurston, head of planning and development at Southampton Airport, said: “Both the airport and the council are currently in the process of reviewing all feedback secured during the consultation to date, and discussing further updates, modifications and clarifications that could further improve the proposals in response to matters raised. As a result, we anticipate that we will be submitting additional material but until we have finalised this information we aren’t in a position to comment further on its content or timescale. The council will provide time for everyone to digest, understand and provide feedback on any such updates. With regards to NOx emissions, we are consistently providing accurate and current figures to the council. Being open and transparent is important to us, and providing as much information as possible to inform the public of the plans helps people provide precise feedback . We thank everyone that has taken the time to submit feedback as it is really helping shape our application further, Please continue to provide feedback via supportsouthamptonairport.com. "