South Yorkshire's Mayor and leaders are set to approve a deal to bring Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the adjacent Innovation Quarter employment land site into public ownership.
Under the proposals, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) would buy the sites from developer Peel Land, subject to an agreement between SYMCA, City of Doncaster Council and Peel Land.
The deal needs formal approval from the SYMCA board on 27 October, and from the board of Peel Land.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport closed in November 2022.
South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard said: ‘This is a deal that puts the future of DSA back in our hands and finally gives one of the biggest and best growth opportunities in South Yorkshire the platform for long-term success that it needs and deserves.
Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones added: ‘This is the right option for the airport – to get it into public ownership and reopened as soon as possible. This is ambitious and the partnership with SYMCA builds on the strong foundations we have built up over the past four years, a foundation upon which we can build together as a team.’
Stephen Wild, Managing Director of Peel Land said: ‘There has been significant collaboration, and we continue to work closely with our partners at the City of Doncaster Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to achieve the wider vision.’
Critics of the reopening of the airport argue that it is commercially unviable and would further undermine the fight against climate change.
