Airport publishes interim masterplan consultation results
Doncaster Sheffield Airport has today said that 96% of respondents to its 20-year masterplan proposals were in support of expanding its terminal building and 90% supported the overall objectives of the plan.
Earlier this year, DSA launched its draft Masterplan and public consultation, which stated its expected growth over the next twenty years would deliver £3.2bn GVA a year by 2037 and create thousands of new jobs.
Today, the airport has revealed interim results of the consultation, which more than 1,600 people responded to. More than 90% of respondents expressed support for the objectives set out in the Masterplan including rail connectivity, according to DSA.
The airport said a total of 97% supported expansion to terminal building services and 96% supported 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 freight tonnes per year. DSA said that the Masterplan would deliver £3.7bn to the local economy by 2037, including £900m construction investment and £159m to the region’s tourism economy.
Its vision plan, published at the same time, set out plans for the delivery of an East Coast Mainline connected station at the site, which it said would see passenger number growth more than double to 11.8 million by 2050, with a station becoming operational as early as 2024.
The consultation took place over an ten-week period between March and May. 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 inform the final Airport masterplan, which will be released at the end of 2018.
Robert Hough, Chairman of Peel Airports Group, said: “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, added: “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: “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.”
