Doncaster Sheffield Airport Masterplan receives public support
Above: (left to right) Kate Stow - Head of Marketing & Communications for DSA, Karen Nilsson - TUI Crew, Ros Jones - Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Robert Hough – Chairman of Peel Airports, Jo Miller - Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Chris Harcombe – Aviation Development Director for DSA, Alan Tolhurst – Chair of the Airport Consultative Committee, Emma Briggs – TUI Crew, Gemma Tabor – TUI Crew.
Over 90% of respondents expressed strong support for the objectives set out in the Masterplan including rail connectivity, with the airport receiving over 1,600 responses to the open consultation. Other standout highlights were 97% support for expansion to terminal building services to maintain the high standard of customer service and 96% support for proposals to deliver new employment developments to create up to 13,000 new jobs at the airport.
The Masterplan details the future development of the current site of the Airport and the projected growth extending out over the next 20 years, forecasting 4.7 million passengers and 70,000 tonnes per year. The Masterplan when fully realised will deliver £3.7 billion to the local economy by 2037 including £900 million construction investment and £159 million to the region’s tourism economy.
At the launch of the Masterplan, the airport also published its Vision Plan to realise the airport and its site full potential as the major international gateway for the East side of the UK. With the delivery of an East Coast Mainline connected station at the site as envisaged in the Vision Plan, the passenger number growth would be more than doubled to 11.8 million by 2050, with a station becoming operational as early as 2024 – just six years’ time.
The consultation took place over an 10-week period between March and May, with over 1,600 responses received from the public, stakeholders and private and public sector organisation taking part. A total of 11 public consultation events were held, including exhibitions at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Sheffield Hallam University and several venues around South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. The airport also visited a number of local schools speaking to over 1,500 school children on the Masterplan and potential careers in aviation.
The feedback received during the public consultation will ultimately inform the final Airport masterplan that will be released at the end of 2018. The full interim consultation summary report can be viewed here: www.flydsa.co.uk/masterplan
Robert Hough, Chairman of Peel Airports Group, said: “We are humbled by the level of engagement we have seen in this public consultation for our draft Masterplan. It is more than a plan for the airport, given the economic prize it is a plan for the economic future of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire which clearly people are keen to take an active role in shaping, to which we are most grateful.
“With 90% of respondents expressing their strong support for our plans is exactly the clear and positive signal that you could wish for, as we pursue more routes, cargo, new housing, highly skilled jobs, tourism, inward investment and rail connectivity. With the right support we can deliver all of this here at DSA.”
Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, said: “Doncaster Sheffield Airport is a hugely important asset for Doncaster, Yorkshire, the north of England and the rest of the UK. Aided by the creation of the Great Yorkshire Way which provides direct access to the airport from the motorway network, the development of the airport and surrounding area is creating new opportunities for residents and businesses alike; through employment, housing, supply chain development, freight movement or by encouraging new inward investment.
“Its vision and masterplan for the future which includes an East Coast Mainline station will see exceptional growth and major investment in both Doncaster people and Doncaster the place. I am delighted to see such widespread support for the airport’s plans.”
Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, Dan Jarvis, said: “Our airport is already seeing success in terms of new routes, rising passenger numbers and an increased demand for cargo facilities. But there is immense further potential which the draft Masterplan sets out a sensible path to deliver. Seeing this level of public support for it only hardens my desire to do our/my bit to deliver it. I know that DSA can be as significant on the east of the Pennines as Manchester Airport is on the west.
"To help realise DSA’s potential, I've already submitted a bid to the Government's Transforming Cities Fund. At the heart of this bid is a Global Innovation Corridor that stretches across the region, linking people to key sites including the airport, Sheffield city centre, the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham and Barnsley’s Digital Campus.
"And now we need to seize this momentum and also throw our collective weight behind the vision for an East Coast Main Line railway station at the airport. This would put our region's airport firmly on the map for people all the way from London to Edinburgh, making it a first choice for business and leisure travellers nationwide."
Alan Tolhurst, Chair of the Airport Consultative Committee, said: “As chair of the Airport Consultative Committee independent forum made up of local elected representatives and council members, after careful scrutiny and gathering local views we were pleased to be enthusiastic supporters of the airports Masterplan. It’s very welcome to see that in this interim report. The airport plays a vital role in driving employment and prosperity so everyone should get behind these plans and use the airport wherever possible to accelerate its growth.”
