Expansion of airport site could create 800 jobs
AROUND 800 jobs could be created at a new commercial district which is being developed around a Yorkshire airport.
A further expansion of Aero Centre Yorkshire, the 1,600 acre site around Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA), has been approved by Doncaster Council. The expansion will see up to 600,000 sq ft of office, general industry, storage and distribution space developed to boost the economy.
A spokesman said: “The site could be made even more accessible by public transport from surrounding towns and cities, with the addition of the proposed East Coast Mainline link to the airport, which could be in place by 2024.”
Peel Land and Property, part of the Peel Group which owns the airport, said it anticipated “strong interest” in the fully-serviced site.
The company plans to open discussions with developers and owner occupiers who are seeking commercial development land opportunities.
It’s estimated that the scheme could lead to the creation of around 800 jobs.
The spokesman added: “With the new permission secured, the scheme will drive forward inward investment for Doncaster and prove instrumental to the continued delivery of the wider ambitions for Aero Centre Yorkshire.”
The Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) strategic plans have also identified Aero Centre Yorkshire as a development that could secure inward investment and create jobs in the logistics, engineering, aviation, energy and construction sectors.
Andrew Farrer, the development manager from Peel Land and Property said: “Aero Centre Yorkshire’s wider development will build on the success of the DSA which has seen significant growth in recent times.
“The application has been prepared to reflect the rapid growth in the cargo and logistics market at DSA, helped by the improved accessibility provided by Great Yorkshire Way (the airport link road) as well as its location within a national logistics hot spot between the Humber ports and the motorway network.”
Earlier this year, DSA published a master plan setting out proposals to create an “aerotropolis” for the North that would generate 73,000 jobs and hand a £3.2bn economic boost to the region over the next 20 years.
Supporters believe the plans would boost the airport’s capacity to more than 25 million passengers a year, from the current total of 1.2 million.
Robert Hough, chairman of Peel Airports, said the proposals would help to re-balance the nation’s economy and boost the Northern Powerhouse.
He told The Yorkshire Post: “The North is often portrayed as something that drags the nation down. I think it should be an enhancer, something that adds to the nation’s prosperity. This would be a real benefit in ensuring that happens.”
Last month, Dan Jarvis, the newly elected mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said the planned railway station connecting DSA to the East Coast Main Line would be “truly game-changing” .
Mr Jarvis said: “Our city re- gion’s airport is already demonstrating impressive growth, not least with the addition of new routes to destinations such as Florida.”
Last year, Aero Centre Yorkshire, backed by the Sheffield City Region, was selected for the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Investment Portfolio to help attract significant investment to the North, one of only 12 projects selected.
The development scheme has also received funding from Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
DSA already serves more than 40 destinations and it was recently voted the best small airport in the UK by Which? Magazine. The Airport’s major airlines include TUI, Wizz Air and Flybe, who offer holiday and flights for both leisure and business travellers.