Planning 'administrative error' brands new Doncaster Sheffield Airport sign as 'unauthorised'
Internal document suggested new airport logo had not been “authorised” by planning officials.
Enforcement officials at the City of Doncaster Council have been left red-faced after an internal memo, incorrectly suggesting the authority had committed a planning breach when it changed the main sign at Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), was leaked.
Details from an internal planning enforcement memo described the “alleged unauthorised change of main sign outside of airport [sic]”.
It suggested the airport team had changed the sign on the terminal; received a planning enforcement notice from the council’s own planning department; appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate against the notice; and lost.
However, Doncaster Council denied any of those details had taken place when approached by the LDRS.
A spokesperson for the council said: “An administrative error was made which led to an incorrect entry being logged on an internal document which has since been corrected. As such this matter is now closed.
“We have done a search on our planning database and we did receive a planning enforcement complaint, however following investigation, the enforcement case was closed on 21st May 2026 – with no further action required.”
Doncaster Council unveiled the new sign on the front of the airport’s main terminal in April 2026.
It looked largely the same as before, with the ‘Robin Hood’ name dropped from the logo.
Doncaster Council is currently working to reopen DSA using public funds, after it closed in 2022.
The memo suggesting the sign change constituted a planning breach was circulated internally, before being leaked to the LDRS.
An airport spokesperson said: “As is right when notified of a potential issue, the planning department sought clarification on the signage and were happy that the actions taken didn’t constitute any breaches of planning policy, as such no further action is to be taken on this matter.”