Council considers compulsory purchase to stop Doncaster Sheffield Airport closure
Doncaster Council is considering steps to force the sale of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA).
The city's mayor Ros Jones said the authority was prepared to pursue a compulsory purchase order to acquire the airport if Peel Group pressed ahead with its plans to close the site next month.
She said the council and the South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard were continuing to talk to the company "in good faith".
But she added: "This week we have also made it clear to them that if there is no collaborative arrangement for the airport’s future due to their unreasonable closure timescale, the council is prepared to initiate the process for a compulsory purchase order of the airport and investigate if we can go to the courts for a Judicial Review of Peel’s decision to close."
Peel Group confirmed last month that flights would start winding down on 31 October after a review concluded the business was no longer viable.
Bosses rejected n offer of public money to keep the airport operational for a further 13 months to allow time for a buyer to be secured. The last scheduled services are on 4 November.
Ms Jones and Mr Coppard have written to Peel Group again urging the company to consider offers for the purchase of the site.
Ms Jones said: "Our efforts have found several highly interested parties who want to progress a potential purchase of the airport.
"We cannot, for commercial reasons, reveal who exactly the interested parties are, they have the commercial and financial pedigree Peel demands ranging from an overseas conglomerate of businesses and investors, a large global asset investment business to a regional airport owner/operator. We have already shared their details and credentials with Peel."
What is a compulsory purchase order (CPO)?
A compulsory purchase order (CPO) is a legal process that allows authorities to require those with an interest in property to sell their interests if they obstruct any development or infrastructure project deemed to benefit the "greater public good".
The owner has no choice about selling if a CPO is confirmed. They are paid for the land.
If a landowner lodges an objection to a CPO, it is not confirmed until the objection has been considered at a public inquiry.
Around 800 jobs at the airport are at risk, with a further 1,800 in the supply chain.
Ms Jones said Tui and Wizz Air – the operators which currently use the airport – have confirmed they would stay if the airport stayed open.
Mr Coppard said interested investors included "a major international infrastructure investor, a Gulf-based conglomerate and a UK based regional airport investor".
In a post on Facebook he added: "Peel have always said DSA is not viable. The market interest in our airport that we have demonstrated today is proof that the market does not agree, and investors know that with the right ownership DSA could have a bright future as a thriving regional airport."
It comes as a petition of more than 100,000 signatures was handed in to government calling for the airport to be saved.
Meanwhile, Louise Hague, the Labour MP for Sheffield, questioned Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan in the Commons about previous comments by the Prime Minister.
She asked what Liz Truss meant when she said she would do all she can to save DSA if the government will not step in.
Ms Trevelyan replied: "At the end of the day this a solution which is offered and indeed accepted or not by Peel Group."
In a statement, the Department for Transport said: "The decision taken to close Doncaster Sheffield Airport by its owners is incredibly disappointing.
"The Transport Secretary has met with Peel Group twice to encourage them to work with local leaders to find a solution for the site which will benefit local people and the region’s economy."
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