Link road for Doncaster airport set for approval

Since the former RAF Finningley reopened as a commercial airport in 2001, the site has been hampered by the lack of a dedicated link road from the nearby M18.

Blueprints for the so-called Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme (FARRRS) were first drawn up by Doncaster Council in 2005, but lack of funding had been a problem.

Last year, the Government announced that it would provide £18m from its Regional Growth Fund to kickstart the project leading to council chiefs submitting today’s application.

According to drawings submitted to the council’s planning committee, the road will run from junction 3 of the M18 and link with the A638 close to the airport’s entrance.

A dual carriageway will link the M18 to a roundabout close to the former mining village of Rossington, while the rest of the three-mile route will be single carriageway.

Much of the land to be used will be agricultural land, although part of the site includes part of the former Rossington Colliery, which itself is set to be redeveloped.

In its application, Doncaster Council says: “FARRRS is essential to the strategy for South Yorkshire. It will be one of the most significant keys in unlocking the potential for regeneration.

“While the economic benefits resulting from this will be greatest in the Rossington and Finningley areas to the south of Doncaster, the effects will be spread over the entire region.”