Can airport rise again? Council outlines hopes for the future

The county’s three chambers of commerce spoke out after DMBC published a new document outlining its hopes of reopening the tourism gateway.

The airport’s owners, Peel Group, shut DSA down last November, saying it had proved “unviable”.

But the new council report, which is part of a wider project named South Yorkshire Airport City, states how valuable DSA is for the region, projects how much it could grow if it were to reopen, and clarifies that negotiations between Peel Group and the local authority are ongoing.

It also emphasises that City of Doncaster Council is still looking to reach an agreement with the airport’s owners and that the preferred outcome here is to secure the relevant land through a negotiated sale, although a contingency is built into the plan in case those efforts should fail.

The council has stated that it is willing to pursue a compulsory purchase order as a last resort, which would incur legal costs, and the council’s cabinet will be asked to ring-fence £3.1 million as a contingency.

DMBC said while it understood there have been “credible financial offers” for DSA, none have been accepted.

The council said in a statement: “Peel has recently offered a lease of the airport to City of Doncaster Council.

“Discussions are taking place to progress this option and to explore whether a lease at a longer term and on a different commercial basis than that initially offered by Peel could provide a basis upon which to achieve the council’s objectives.”

Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: “Sadly, our award-winning airport has now closed, but the fight is not over.

“Our aim is to reach agreement on the acquisition of the airport with Peel, but if necessary we will seek to compulsorily purchase the site and we are preparing for that eventuality now, should it be required.

“The acquisition process will take time and it will not be cheap.

“However, this airport has the potential to be the jewel in the crown of the Doncaster and South Yorkshire economy.

“It is an investment in the future of this great city and the region.

“That is why this report to cabinet sets out the latest position and asks for the support to progress our endeavours for the site’s future.

“I hope a sale can be achieved but, if not, we have to plan for other ways to secure the airport for the aviation industry, our communities and our economy.”

Doncaster Chamber, Sheffield Chamber and Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber said in a statement: “Despite recent setbacks, the South Yorkshire Chambers do not see a substantive reason why DSA could not be reopened.

“We welcome the fact that the City of Doncaster Council is continuing negotiations with Peel and allocating the resources necessary to reach an outcome that is in the best interests of the regional economy.

“Instinctive support for compulsory purchase orders is not typically in the DNA of the private sector or the business organisations that represent them.

“We would, naturally, prefer a negotiated outcome that sees the airport re-open without recourse to the courts.

“However, such is the strength of feeling within the business community, that we think it would be appropriate for a CPO to be pursued in the interests of South Yorkshire’s economy, if all other routes have been exhausted.”

The chambers noted that recent polling had shown the approach outlined was supported by 69 per cent of their members.

The report on the airport will be presented to the council’s cabinet next Wednesday.