Doncaster Sheffield Airport: This is what owner Peel Group wants to do with the site now

Peel Group announced that the airport will start to close at the end of October – and then it plans to set up a strategy to create new jobs on the site.

Steven Underwood, chief executive, Peel Group said: “As has been seen many times before in industries undergoing structural change, although change brings uncertainty it can also bring significant opportunity.

“We look forward to collaborating with our partners to create a vibrant, long-term vision for GatewayEast and the airport site. We will not accept any public sector grant to cover the costs of an airport that is not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs.

He said accepting funds from SYMCA (South Yorshire Metropolitan Combined Authority) may postpone what he sees as inevitable closure for another 13 months, but would divert funds away from services on which communities throughout South Yorkshire rely.

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He added: “Instead, we intend to continue working closely with local and national stakeholders to develop a forward-thinking strategy for the airport site, in conjunction with the £1.7 billion GatewayEast development next door, to help unlock vibrant, job-creating alternatives to ensure future growth and prosperity.

"We have the potential to attract cutting-edge, future-tech businesses to South Yorkshire, but only if we are able to collaborate with our local stakeholders and community in South Yorkshire.”

What has Peel Group's redeveloped in the past?

He said Peel Group's redevelopment projects in the past have included MediaCityUK in Salford, where 40 acres of derelict dockland was transformed into a vibrant hub for the media, creative and technology sectors, now employing over 10,000 people.

Peel announced a review of the airport’s future earlier this year, after blows including an airline leaving the site.

Announcing the closure this week, the firm said no tangible proposals had been received regarding the ownership of the airport or which addressed the ‘fundamental lack of financial viability’.

They said the high fixed costs associated with running a safe, regulated airport, together with recent events materially reducing prospective future aviation income streams, meaning that a break-even business plan could not be identified for the foreseeable future.”

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