Group linked to Extinction Rebellion explain why they spray-painted messages outside Doncaster Council building

Stop The Expansion of the AirPort (STEAP) has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that activists were involved in the incident protesting against expansion plans of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

An unknown number of activists spray-painted messages overnight sometime on Monday, August 30 against plans to carry out expansion of airport operations.

The group said they are ‘demanding’ Peel Holdings, Doncaster Council and Sheffield City Region drop all plans for airport expansion as it goes against the climate emergency proposed by both authorities.

The group said the protest was not about ‘cheap holidays’ and ‘everything to do’ with a ‘massive increase in air freight’ and subsequent emissions.

In terms of expansion, a new enlarged central search area at the northern end of level three of the terminal was revealed at the start of 2020 which will also include ‘smart lane’ technology to improve processing.

Bosses also want to use the money to reconfigure the level three departure lounge, linking the exit with the new central search area along with improving passenger facilities.

The plans will also feature two new departure gates with link bridges to the planes – including one for passengers with reduced mobility.

Owner Peel Airports wants passenger numbers to rise from 1.25 million in 2016 to 4.7 million by 2037 and 11.8 million by 2050.

A previous expansion announcement from travel firm TUI could result in the summer of 2022 being the biggest on record at DSA with passenger numbers growing to more than 1.7 million and potentially exceeding traffic levels of 2019 by more than 30 per cent.

A group spokesman named Prinz Peter, said: “We are Stop The Expansion of the AirPort – a newly formed and quickly growing group, linked to Extinction Rebellion and other environmentalist groups, dedicated to fighting the expansion of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

“We demand that Peel Holdings, Doncaster Council and Sheffield City Region drop all plans to expand DSA as this goes against the Climate Emergency that was declared by DMBC and SCR.

“This has nothing to do with cheap holidays and everything to do with a massive increase in air freight, which will also require night flights. The huge increase in air pollution and carbon is incompatible with a Climate Emergency.

“We declare that we will do everything possible to prevent the expansion of DSA, from direct action to legal action. The expansion of DSA will not go ahead.”

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