The Government has given the green light to a £30million investment plan to contribute the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced today that she backed the move in a bid to boost the economy by £5billion.
The plans - pushed forward by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard - are also set to unleash 5,000 jobs and provide further benefits of £2million by 2050.
The airport was closed to the public in 2022 after the travel was no longer considered financially viable, with low profits accompanied by dismaying passenger numbers.
Ever since, campaigners and politicians across the region have fought to reopen the hub to support wider development plans for the region.
Rayner said: “If we are to really grow our economy and put money into the pockets of working people, regional growth needs to be hardwired into the decisions that we make.
“That’s why we have wasted no time in kick starting Local Growth Plans, owned by local leaders, and why, through our bold devolution plans, we can back our mayors and get opportunities for jobs and growth off the ground - just as they will with this thriving regional airport.
“Previous governments stood by as Doncaster Sheffield Airport was closed by its owner despite the overwhelming support for it to stay open.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Earlier in the year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that Westminster supported the airport's reopening as South Yorkshire Airport City.
Meanwhile, Doncaster Council has created a subsidiary Fly Doncaster, as well as locking down Munich Airport International as a strategic partner while plans for the travel hub take off.
The investment will allow the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to deploy its devolved funding to bankroll the critical infrastructure that is required for the site, the Ministry for Housing and Local Government said earlier today.
“[The site] now sits idle despite the potential to drive jobs and growth across the north," Rayner said, adding that she is looking towards making the hub a "thriving regional airport".
Angela Rayner
PA
Coppard said: “This significant funding package, alongside the cross-departmental government working group we have now set up, is a vital signal of our shared commitment to our airport, to growth, to creating good jobs in our communities, and to the future of Doncaster and South Yorkshire.
“Since day one, we have been fighting for our airport, so we can create good jobs in the industries of the future and play our part in developing the sustainable aviation technologies of tomorrow.
“To now have the support of a government who don’t just understand that opportunity but truly want to help us realise it, couldn’t be more important.”
Central Government has since confirmed that it has set up a group with Doncaster Council and SYMCA to aid local efforts in the growth project.
