South Yorkshire’s Mayor and local leaders have approved a £3.1m funding package to support the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
At the Board meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the sum was agreed to help with the costs of building a case for the Compulsory Purchase Order process currently being undertaken by the City of Doncaster Council.
Mayor Oliver Coppard and the leaders of the four South Yorkshire councils also agreed a funding package towards the purchase of the Airport, should the CPO ultimately be successful.
Oliver Coppard said: “We haven’t given up on our fight to reopen DSA. Since Peel announced their intentions to close our airport, I’ve been working alongside partners from across the region to first keep it open, and now to bring it back into use. We’re not going to stop until we’ve exhausted every option.
“The Compulsory Order Process is our last, best hope to take back control of DSA, and that’s why today we’ve agreed £3.1 million from South Yorkshire’s MCA to support Doncaster in their pursuit of that CPO, and a funding package to purchase the site should the CPO – as we hope – be successful.
“There are no easy or quick answers in this process. The CPO could take up to two years, and there are loads of hurdles in the way. But across South Yorkshire we are determined to do everything we can to bring DSA back into use, and to make it the thriving regional airport we know it can be.”
Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: “Having an airport in Doncaster is vitally important to our city and the economic and growth fortunes of South Yorkshire. Businesses and communities in the region want to see a thriving airport so I am thankful for the support from SYMCA in helping with our efforts to secure its future.”
Doncaster Sheffield Airport was closed in 2022 after its owners Peel Group decided the airport was no longer financially viable. Research carried out as part of the region’s response to Peel Group’s review into the viability of the Airport found that DSA supported around 2,700 jobs and contributed more than £100m to the regional economy when it was operational.
