Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Oliver Coppard reveals talks with Chinese investors
Oliver Coppard has been talking to Chinese investors about potential backing for the project to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
The Mayor of South Yorkshire was in China earlier this month where he participated in a conference involving global mayors in Chengdu, which is a twin city with Sheffield. Discussions with Chinese investors are understood to be at an early stage.
Speaking at the UKREiiF event in Leeds last week about plans to reopen DSA and develop 1,700 acres of land known as Gateway East around the site, Mr Coppard said the project is a “massive opportunity” for the South Yorkshire economy.
It is planned that City of Doncaster Council will reopen DSA via a council-owned company prior to looking for private investment.
Mr Coppard said he was pleased Reform councillors in Doncaster had recently agreed for a £57m loan for the airport reopening project to progress after threatening to cancel it.
The money is due to facilitate upfront spending on the reopening project in advance of £160m of devolution funding controlled by Mr Coppard’s South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) being released, largely in annual instalments.
Mr Coppard told the Leeds event: “This is the right plan, the right approach, indeed the only plan and the only approach for Gateway East, for Doncaster and for the airport and we are determined to make that work.
"It is why I’ve committed £160m of the MCA’s money, it is why I spent a significant amount of my time in China last week talking to businesses there and investors there about how they might add their weight and their money to the plan that we have and a bunch of other people besides. This is such an important project and plan for South Yorkshire, we will make it work.”
The release of the £160m devolution funding remains subject to changes to the airport lease between Doncaster Council and landowner Peel being agreed.