Meeting REGENERATION SCRUTINY PANEL

Date 6 August 2004

Title Robin Hood Doncaster Update

Originating Officer Phil Turnidge, Senior Planner, phil.turnidge@ .gov.uk, 01709 823888. Divisional Manager Alan Mitchell, Forward Planning Manager, [email protected], 01709 823834

Issue To outline the current position regarding Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Summary The airport proposals were granted planning permission by the Secretary of State on 4 April 2003 following a major Public Inquiry during 2001/2002. The airport is due to open in spring 2005. It was initially envisaged that the airport would handle 2.3 million passengers by around 2014 but a faster rate of growth is now being forecast.

Clearance/Consultation This report is for information only.

Timing There are no timing issues.

Background In November 1999, Peel Limited, the operators of Liverpool John Lennon Airport ,submitted a planning application for the Finningley Airport proposals. Doncaster MBC was mindful to approve the planning application but it was subsequently called in by the Secretary of State who decided to hold a Public Inquiry. The Inquiry took place between October 2001 and March 2002 and the Secretary of State granted planning permission in April 2003. The planning permission is subject to a 79 clause Section 106 Agreement and 104 conditions, many of which require action/management plans to be agreed before the airport is operational. Peel Airports is currently working through these requirements, concluding airport licensing arrangements with the Civil Aviation Authority and security requirements with The Department for Transport.

Construction work has commenced. Off-site highway works and signing are being progressed. The steelwork for the terminal building has been erected and the roofing and flooring work is to programme. Drainage and sub-base surfacing of car parking areas and the construction of the earth bund adjoining Finningley village is in hand. Perimeter fencing work is ongoing and building work to the Fire Station and Control Tower is being carried out.

Peel has announced that the airport will be known as “Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport”. This has attracted much publicity as probably intended but it has yet to be seen if the use of this name within the aviation sector will prevail. Thompson Fly and Dragon Air (Freight) will be the first operators of charter flights from the airport . Thompsons Holidays will announce routes in October and other charter operations will be declared shortly.

The airport proposals and passenger forecasts forming the basis of the initial planning application were not dependent on a new link road between the airport and the M18. However, Doncaster MBC is keen to accelerate the Finningley/Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme (FARRRS) , including the M18 Link Road option, in order to obtain Objective 1 funding. The Link Road is referred to in the South Spatial Study and also appears as a category 3 priority in Regional Planning Guidance transportation priorities but has yet to be included in the South Yorkshire LTP programme. Peel is actively pursuing a new airport railway station on the Doncaster- Lincoln Line but in the short term the airport will be linked to the Doncaster Interchange by an express coach service. Doncaster MBC has a number of internal working groups progressing various aspects of the project. A brief for a Study of Aviation Clusters and a Doncaster Workforce Study are being progressed with the Doncaster Economic Partnership. A Finningley Training Group has also been established in an attempt to match re-skilling to airport job opportunities.

The Borough Council, along with the other South Yorkshire Authorities and those from north Nottinghamshire, is represented on the Finningley Strategic Steering Group. This Group provides the basis for co-operation between interested parties and disseminates information and progress reports about the project. The Council is represented on the Airport Transport Forum which will be responsible for monitoring and promoting surface access matters. The inaugural meeting of the Forum was in May.

Argument Although the Borough Council has always been generally supportive of the airport proposal it did have some concerns about effects on the Sheffield City Airport; aircraft noise over the Maltby area; the adequacy of transport links to the airport and; the definition and extent of proposed airport related employment uses. The Council did not raise objections at the Public Inquiry but instead submitted a statement to the Inspector outlining the above concerns.

Peel Airports also hold a major interest in Sheffield City Airport which is now being marketed for general aviation purposes following the cessation of scheduled passenger services. The risk of noise nuisance in rural parts of the Borough to the east of Maltby is now accepted as minimal subject to adherence to preferential aircraft departure routes and a noise complaints procedure.

The Section 106 Agreement attached to the planning permission includes provision for an Airport Transport Forum to monitor a quiet operations policy and aircraft arrival/departure track keeping as well looking to improve surface access to the airport from the wider sub-region. There is also provision to monitor traffic levels on surrounding roads including A631 (Rotherham to Bawtry).

Planning conditions limit development at the airport site to that which is directly related to the airport and for which such a location would be essential. This, subject to compliance, addresses the concerns that unfettered employment development at the airport could prejudice investment in other more sustainable locations elsewhere in South Yorkshire.

Risks and Uncertainties Although the airport is expected to help boost the economy of South Yorkshire the precise economic benefit to the Borough cannot be quantified. The long term future of Sheffield City Airport other than for small scale general aviation is increasingyl doubtful . Economic and travel benefits will be dependent on improved access arrangements by all modes of transport and these have yet to be identified and funded. The containment of potential noise nuisance and restricting employment development to airport related uses will depend on compliance by developers/operators and effective enforcement of the relevant planning conditions by the local planning authority. There remains a need to also improve links and access to other airports, such as Manchester International, serving the sub-region.

Finance There are no financial implications for the Council.

Sustainability A major new airport in South Yorkshire will increase the opportunity for air travel from within the region and will assist sustainability by reducing the number of journeys to other major airports like Manchester and those in the South-east. On the other hand ever increasing growth in air travel assisted by beneficial taxation policies will have a detrimental effect on the global environment.

Wards Affected All wards could potentially benefit from the airport.

References None

Presentation The Council looks forward to the opening of Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport in spring 2005 and is keen to see that the resultant benefits to the economy of the sub-region are optimised.

Recommendation

The present position regarding Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport be noted.