DONCASTER CHAMBER RESPONDS TO SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYOR’S AIRPORT UPDATE

Doncaster Chamber responds to the latest update from South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, on the future of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), shared during the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) Board AGM.
 
SYMCA has confirmed that further progress has been made on the Doncaster Sheffield Airport investment proposal. This includes significant assurance work undertaken since February, focusing on traffic forecasts, financial modelling, and the development of a masterplan for the wider Gateway East site.
 
“This is a strategic investment in South Yorkshire’s future – with the airport as a key enabler,” said Dan Fell MBE, Chief Executive of Doncaster Chamber. “It’s about unlocking a major economic opportunity for Doncaster and South Yorkshire. Gateway East has the potential to be a national hub for supply chains, advanced manufacturing, and innovation – creating thousands of jobs and equipping our region with new and emerging skills.”
 
The additional work has also included an Equality Impact Assessment and a review of land use, employment, and skills opportunities; all key components underpinning the decision-making process.
 
Most significantly, SYMCA has now confirmed that a final investment decision is expected in early September. This follows earlier commitments made by both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister during their visit to Doncaster Sheffield Airport in April and has been further enabled by the Secretary of State’s decision not to call in the airspace application – allowing decisions to proceed more swiftly.
 
Dan Fell continued:
 
“We welcome today’s update and, crucially, the clarity on timeline. As Mayor Coppard recently expressed in the Yorkshire Post, there is a real determination to work at breakneck speed – and rightly so. Businesses and residents alike have been calling for decisive action.
 
“While we recognise and respect the Mayor’s role in ensuring due diligence and scrutiny on such a significant investment, we echo our position from our own AGM today: the risks of prolonged delay and indecision are far greater than the risks of proceeding at pace.”
 
Doncaster Chamber remains committed to working with partners across the region to ensure that the DSA project delivers lasting economic, social, and environmental value for the district and beyond.
 
“We therefore urge all parties associated with this transformational decision to work together at pace to make the business case as watertight as possible.  We also encourage our strategic partners Doncaster Council to work with their peers to ensure that the benefits of DSA reopening for the businesses and residents of Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield are well articulated and understood by the Council Leaders that will be making this decision along with Mayor Coppard in September.” Fell concludes.