Airportdecision isshort- sighted

A major setback for the North

THE GOVERNMENT’S decision not to advance the proposed rail link to Doncaster Sheffield Airport is so short- sighted on so many fronts that it will prompt many to question its wider commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.

It appears that the Department for Transport won’t spend any more money on the feasibility of a rail spur off the East Coast Main Line because it does not meet Treasury cost- benefit criteria that skews spending in London and the South East’s favour. Correspondence from Rail Minister Chris HeatonHarris also puts specific emphasis on the number of air travellers projected to use any new line.

But this misses the point entirely. Airport passenger numbers were meeting DfT targets before the pandemic and any new rail link won’t just serve the DSA terminal; it will also access one of the North’s biggest development sites. Around 1,600 acres in size, it has scope to employ 35,650 people. Around 3,000 homes are also due to be built and the intention is to minimise car use.

Far from being a drain on the public purse, the £ 1.5m required to advance preparatory work offers remarkable value given the scheme’s economic potential and additional ability, if required, to divert trains off the busy main railway line and thereby reduce capacity pressures – and resulting delays – in the Doncaster area.

But a wider point needs to be made. This scheme is another victim of the Treasury’s ‘ green book’ spending rules on value for money that have penalised the North for so long. And until these are overhauled, as Chancellor Rishi Sunak has promised to do, the Government’s ‘ levelling up’ mission and promises ‘ to build back better’ will falter.

As such, the response of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps at tomorrow’s Great Northern Conference is awaited with interest in the hope that the London Government can still be persuaded to show the necessary foresight.