Doncaster Sheffield Airport lease negotiations 'faltered' before talks turned to buying site
The purchase was first revealed by the Doncaster Free Press on Friday, days before Mayor Coppard and Mayor Jones confirmed it at Doncaster Sheffield Airport the following Monday.
The renegotiations of the Doncaster Sheffield Airport lease had ‘faltered’ before authorities turned to buying the site, documents have revealed, despite local officials telling journalists it was ‘categorically incorrect’ to suggest negotiations had been unsuccessful.
Ahead of the upcoming purchase being revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, senior press officials from both the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and City of Doncaster Council said it was ‘categorically incorrect’ to suggest the renegotiation had been unsuccessful.
Days later, reports published on the SYMCA website said lease renegotiation had ‘faltered’, adding: “Despite best efforts – a solution to the turnover rent clause that was satisfactory for all parties could not be found.”
A City of Doncaster Council spokesperson said: “The lease negotiations should be put in context against the step to buy the airport which was announced this week. This new position of buying the freehold is a huge positive and only available due to the existence of the original lease.”
The spokesperson added that Mayor Ros Jones’ cabinet would meet next week to ‘discuss the airport proposals’ and ‘address the change in approach’.
An SYMCA spokesperson said: “Our negotiations with Peel regarding amendments to the lease were ultimately superseded when agreement was reached to purchase the freehold – this was one continuous process.”
The SYMCA Board papers described airport purchase talks as ‘a new line of enquiry’, rather than a continuation of the lease discussions.
Renegotiating the lease, agreed by Doncaster Council and the airport landowners Peel in 2024, was a condition of around £160million in funding the SYMCA Board had previously agreed would go towards reopening DSA.
The report says: “The conditions set for the release of funding have not been met. Without MCA funding the project is unviable and CDC is exposed to lease payments up until the first break point in 2031.”
The document said conversations with Peel ‘did not stop’ after talks over the lease did not end in agreement, instead turning towards the possibility of a freehold purchase of DSA.
Ahead of revealing the upcoming purchase on October 15, 2026, both the SYMCA and Doncaster Council were given the opportunity to respond to the story. In separate phone calls, officials at both authorities said it was ‘categorically incorrect’ to suggest the lease renegotiation had ‘failed’.
The purchase was officially confirmed in an event at Doncaster Sheffield Airport by the South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, and Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones. The SYMCA Board documents were published after reporters had finished speaking with the two Mayors.