A Weekly Update on the Work of the DSA Business Advisory Group 02/09/22
The business community is keenly interested in the rapidly developing situation at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
As Co-chairs of the DSA Business Advisory Group (an informal and time-limited group of business organisations and people designed to support our public sector partners in their deliberation and negotiations with Peel), we are committed to providing weekly updates so that the community can be kept abreast of what is happening.
The Business Advisory Group met for the fifth time on 2nd September 2022. This followed a meeting of the main Negotiating Group on 1st September 2022, which itself was attended by Dan Fell from our Business Advisory Group.
The main goal at the moment is to keep pushing Peel to extend their short consultation period which is due to end in mid-September. To do so, and to move them to a position where they can potentially accept an alternative operator to take over DSA, we need a credible proposal to emerge. Hence since the Mayor’s “Enough is Enough” statement on 26 August 2022: News - South Yorkshire MCA (southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk); The MCA has initiated research in testing the market for potential interested parties. There is interest but such conversations are, necessarily, commercially sensitive and although nothing more can be said at the moment, we must remain positive about finding a solution.
At the Business Advisory Group, the Chief Executive of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority gave an update to the group and iterated the timetable and criteria for a potential change of operator or owner at DSA. This was with a view to the private sector helping with the search for investors or operators.
The group also looked at the preliminary results of the important Economic Impact Assessment which has been undertaken by Steer. Even using very conservative assumptions, the economic impact of Doncaster Sheffield Airport is much higher than that projected by Peel. Quite starkly, the report shows that losing the airport – even as it currently operates – could undo Doncaster’s predicted growth for the next couple of years. More on this to follow.
The report, helpfully, also plays back the government’s own words about the importance of regional airports, stating that they can function as ‘a catalyst for national and local benefits. This includes through trade, air freight, aerospace, investment and tourism, as well as allowing people to benefit from improved connections. (‘Flightpath to the Future’).’
As Downing Street prepares to welcome a new Prime Minister, we hope that the country’s new leader subscribes to this view as saving DSA may yet require national support. Later this week, we will be working with our media partners to call for the new PM to show their commitment to levelling up and to work with South Yorkshire to save DSA.
Dan Fell, Doncaster Chamber
Peter Kennan, South Yorkshire LEP
2 September 2022
