Could be a real good news for the region as well, the United Kingdom government has backed plans by South Yorkshire’s mayor to invest £30m of devolved funding into reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Not only connectivity, the plans are forecasted to support 5,000 jobs, boost the economy by £5bn and provide wider benefits of £2bn by 2050.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced today that she backed the move in a bid to boost the economy by £5billion.
Earlier in year 2022, Political leaders in South Yorkshire attempted to keep the airport open (which employs 800 people) with financial offers made, but Peel Group forced operations shut down from the 31st October. The airport has sat idle since it was closed in November 2022.
Ever since, campaigners and politicians across the region have fought to reopen the hub to support wider development plans for the region.
Happened today, in a major boost for regional growth and example of devolution in action, the announcement will enable the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to use their devolved funding to invest in the creation of a sustainable aviation hub.
The government has confirmed it has established a working group with Doncaster Council and SYMCA to support local efforts to reopen the airport and explore how the project could unlock wider benefits in the region.
The first meeting, bringing together South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard, Aviation Minister Mike Kane, Doncaster Council and the government, has taken place today (Wednesday, 9 April).
The investment plans will enable the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to create a sustainable aviation hub in South Yorkshire to “turbocharge economic growth” in the region.
The government has confirmed it has established a working group with Doncaster Council and SYMCA to support local efforts to reopen the airport and explore how the project could unlock wider benefits in the region.
The first meeting, bringing together South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard, aviation minister Mike Kane, Doncaster Council and the government, took place on April 9.
The boost for South Yorkshire comes as deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has agreed new shared priorities with mayors across the country focused on the opportunities and challenges to unlocking regional growth – a major step forward in the government’s pledge for each regional mayor to have their own Local Growth Plan.
Mayor for South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, said:
“This significant funding package, alongside the cross-departmental government working group we have now set up, is a vital signal of our shared commitment to our airport, to growth, to creating good jobs in our communities, and to the future of Doncaster and South Yorkshire.
“Since day one, we have been fighting for our airport, so we can create good jobs in the industries of the future and play our part in developing the sustainable aviation technologies of tomorrow.
“To now have the support of a government who don’t just understand that opportunity but truly want to help us realise it, couldn’t be more important.”
On further development, Doncaster Council has started a subsidiary Fly Doncaster, as well as marking Munich Airport International as a strategic partner while plans for the travel hub take off.
This partnership and further investment will allow the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to deploy its devolved funding to bankroll the critical infrastructure that is required for the site, the Ministry for Housing and Local Government said earlier today.
