Doncaster Sheffield Airport could be the fulcrum of Yorkshire’s economy - Yorkshire Post Letters

Both The Yorkshire Post and Doncaster Free Press are failing the whole of Yorkshire in their wide fluctuations on support or more accurately, lack of support on matters vital to levelling up the country.

Although it is encouraging to see from The Doncaster Free Press on April 6, the chance of a deal for the reopening of Doncaster Airport following the hard work done by Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, her Council, Dan Fell, CEO of Doncaster Chamber of Trade and the many residents of the Doncaster region.

Hopefully, the indication of support from other Chambers of Commerce in Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham is also encouraging but the airport, although situated in Doncaster is key to the prosperity, of the whole of Yorkshire and the North of England and should receive genuine support from all MPs, regional mayors, trade bodies within that area.

This support should also cover the rail links via Doncaster to the airport, using spurs from the ECML which would also enhance the Humber Express container business from the rapidly expanding container capacity at Immingham, and the probability that the vital air freight service coming into Doncaster would be fairly easily recovered with the lengthy runway, accessibility to the motorway system etc.

With the airports at Leeds, Doncaster and Humberside, Newcastle and Teesside the North could be a formidable part of the country’s success and balance out the Manchester, Liverpool airports west of the Pennines.

Unfortunately our MPs have failed in their own duties to support DSA and the Rail Hub at Doncaster based on the excellent performance of the ECML in its present North to South routes and its capabilities to cope with facilities required to East and West such as Hull and Leeds.

Cancellations on the Leeds link via HS2 would generate funds to cover or contribute to connections throughout Yorkshire and times and capacity on Leeds/ London around two hours via Doncaster and improving signalling, allowing trains to follow closer but safely and with extensions to platforms at key stations on route to allow for more carriages.

Recent events do not augur well for Doncaster. The GBR headquarters should have gone to Doncaster with all its road, rail, airlinks or at least York but our MPs failed to hammer the local cause in Parliament and speak in support of their constituents.

Regional mayors in Leeds and Sheffield wish to dominate decisions within their areas and look more to fast links between themselves and Manchester and achievement of HS2 for vanity purposes and between them control the North. Thus we get a stalemate situation in the North of England just as I feel sure will happen with the Conservatives and Liberals in areas within the South and West.

Only recently the Government failed to offer support to Drax to further advance their link with Mitsubishi on a BECCS project increasing still further their reduction of carbon pollution in the atmosphere.

Their request for financial support in this exciting development which would have increased still further the contribution Drax makes to the supply of renewable low carbon energy failed to succeed.

As a heavily populated Island we need to concentrate our efforts in self-sufficiency in food and energy and reserve all green belt land for these purposes.