Doncaster airport

[Sprotyrover]

The Airport has major benefits for the region , it would be great if it were possible to get rid of Peel
They saw DSA as a land grab opportunity not an Airport, who actually owns the 800 Acres do we know?

[auckleyflyer]

Remember they did this around 2010/2012?? Sold all 3 airports to Vancouver Air Services. Right pulled their pants down the debt was lost, and they bought them back at a knockdown rate 3yrs later!!!! I was working there then.
Also know the wizz business is so so coveted by Manchester as it's a dream to airport operators (all year round full planes) had to fight off huge pressure from them to keep wizz! Don't work there now, I defected to Newquay airport 6years ago so not up on why it went sour with wizz but suspect someone let their eye off the ball with new growth and didn't treat wizz correctly.
I also agree there's a contraction coming in aviation just didn't think it would ever be Donny!!! But think Exeter will go and poss Southend?

[Wiltshire Exile]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-62228508

The last thing that I want to see is for DSRH Airport to be closed down…but I’m not sure that nationalising it is the best solution. Mind you, even Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, seems to be in favour…so what do I know, e?!

[Donnywolf]

Don't forget Shapps has form (lots of form) for lying.

Pretended to be several different people Michael Green , Sebastian Fox and Corrine Stockbridge plus others to hide the fact that he had 2 jobs when it was TOTALLY against the rules to do it if you were an MP .

He also intervened in a By Election near him pretending to be a Lib Dem candidate and trying his best to blow it for them. Thick lying git was traced as he had signed in on his own Laptop

He has altered his Wikipedia entry to amend lots of bits about him including GCE results etc

So permit me to say I would never believe a single word he ever utters

Just Google Shapps controversies if you want the full list ... There is much more and the Michael Green thing is unbelievable given he is in Govt still

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

A weird universe whereby the Tories want local government to takeover and the labour mayor isn't keen.

Surprisingly many airports are part of fully publicly owned.  I tend to think infrastructure should be publicly owned but not the services within them.  Airports fall in that category.  It should not be allowed to fail.

[Sprotyrover]

I think you have to look at DSA in a National perspective,A spur of the East Coast mainline would cost Peanuts in comparison to a Third runway at Heathrow, and it would be 70 minutes by train from Kings Cross.

[roversdude]

Southend are offering to host all the flights that Heathrow etc are cancelling, that’s using their initiative and chasing business, maybe they want to be successful

[roversdude]

I think you have to look at DSA in a National perspective,A spur of the East Coast mainline would cost Peanuts in comparison to a Third runway at Heathrow, and it would be 70 minutes by train from Kings Cross.

The Trans Pennine Route has just had a wad of money thrown at it so DSA could lessen the burden on Manchester too

[Donnywolf]

Can't we do joined up transport like the Netherlands.

Ride bikes walk or take trams or buses to a main line Train Station.

Journey between Amsterdam and Rotterdam every 15 minutes.

Plan a journey by Train up to a year in advance. The times will be correct as I have hardly ever noticed a late
Train in my many years of going there

Go from A to B via C and you get off at B . Both Platforms are listed and they are deliberately close together ( not like Donny arrive on 1 and you have 10 minutes to make Platform 8 with a Case or a person in a Wheelchair for example) and so you might come in on 2 and your next train may be from 3.

A year in advance and it works. Hope Dutch uncle doesn't think I have too much of a rosy outlook on the transport there (as he was) but I can barely fault my experiences

[danumdon]

I agree the infrastructure is great, nice and clean, in  a modern and ordered society(mostly)

The only issue is the Dutch themselves, just like the Germans but with a slightly more palatable language.

I've never met a more contrarian people, pleasant, friendly, easy to get on with, then next the most obnoxious and arrogant people you are ever likely to meet (outside of Germany)

Very strange these Europeans(the northern ones)

[Ldr]

I agree the infrastructure is great, nice and clean, in  a modern and ordered society(mostly)

The only issue is the Dutch themselves, just like the Germans but with a slightly more palatable language.

I've never met a more contrarian people, pleasant, friendly, easy to get on with, then next the most obnoxious and arrogant people you are ever likely to meet (outside of Germany)

Very strange these Europeans(the northern ones)

They’re basically Yorkshiremen:)

[WheatleyRover]

I want the airport to stay open and continue but this crowd funding that starts on the 1st of August I hope fails, as they want to rename the airport after Captain Sir Tom Moore.

[Donnywolf]

They could call it Sheffield Airport for me as long as it sticks around

Why would they want to call it after him though ?  Yorkshireman but born Keighley I thought

[donnyguy]

Sounds a little more hopeful. Tweets from Donny major

Statement with @olivercoppard

@MyDoncaster & @SouthYorksMCA met again today with reps from Peel to discuss the future of @DSA_Airport which was positive & productive. All parties are approaching this with urgency & commitment & will hold further discussions over the coming days.

Workable options will be developed at pace for the airport operations & site that benefit the wider region.

In the meantime there is a lot of work to be done to consider the options with scrutiny & in detail. We are giving our officers the time & space to work with Peel on this

@MyDoncaster, @SouthYorksMayor @olivercoppard  & @SouthYorksMCA along with all 3 Doncaster MP’s are united in wanting to ensure the airport remains open. All options are on the table to secure both the short and long-term future of @DSA_Airport.

#SaveDSA

[WheatleyRover]

I don't know much about this but Nick Fletcher is saying Oliver Coppard has devolved powers and the money at his disposal, and he doesn't need the Government to act, yet Coppard keeps saying we need help from Government.

Is Coppard all talk and just saying what people want to hear but not doing his all.

Also Whittaker won't take part in the meetings.

[Filo]

I don't know much about this but Nick Fletcher is saying Oliver Coppard has devolved powers and the money at his disposal, and he doesn't need the Government to act, yet Coppard keeps saying we need help from Government.

Is Coppard all talk and just saying what people want to hear but not doing his all.

Also Whittaker won't take part in the meetings.

I think its the other way around Fletcher is all talk, and Photo op, and is just defending his Govt instead of fighting for his constituents

[Sprotyrover]

I don't know much about this but Nick Fletcher is saying Oliver Coppard has devolved powers and the money at his disposal, and he doesn't need the Government to act, yet Coppard keeps saying we need help from Government.

Is Coppard all talk and just saying what people want to hear but not doing his all.

Also Whittaker won't take part in the meetings.

I think its the other way around Fletcher is all talk, and Photo op, and is just defending his Govt instead of fighting for his constituents

Yes he is really vociferous on FB must make a post every day
And thousands of words, unlike Dame Rosie, 2 posts total of less than 100 words!

[Sprotyrover]

To be fair Ed Milliband has been fairly Active on FF.maybe Dame Rosie doesn't do FB.

[SydneyRover]

Wolfie and others that have mentioned Peel Group ...........

''Who owns the country? The secretive companies hoarding England's land'' (4/2019)

''Despite owning 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of land, managing a property portfolio worth £2.3bn and having control over huge swaths of central Manchester and Liverpool, very few people have heard of a company named Peel Holdings. It owns the Manchester Ship Canal. It built the Trafford Centre shopping complex and, more recently, sold it in the largest single property acquisition in Britain’s history. It was the developer behind the MediaCityUK site in Salford, to which the BBC and ITV have relocated many of their operations in recent years. Airports, fracking, retail – the list of Peel business interests stretches on and on ................ ''

''Peel Holdings operates behind the scenes, quietly acquiring land and real estate, cutting billion-pound deals and influencing numerous planning decisions. Its investment decisions have had an enormous impact, whether for good or ill, on the places where millions of people live and work''

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/19/who-owns-england-secretive-companies-hoarding-land

[SydneyRover]

''John Whittaker (born 14 March 1942) is a British billionaire. He is chairman of the Peel Group, a property business that mainly invests in North West England. Although publicity-shy, he has been described as one of the most influential business leaders for Greater Manchester and the North West by the Manchester Evening News (2007),[3] and was named the most influential northerner by The Big Issue magazine in 2010.[4]''

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Whittaker_(businessman)

[WheatleyRover]

He's also a complete w**ker.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Thinking out of the box, I wonder if it's possible to tempt Peel out of the Airport site with a land exchange as a carrot. Any brownfield sites with potential for development within the South Yorks unitary area?

[Donnywolf]

Unfortunately Bradholme near Thorne. Its been "quashed" due to flood risk and traffic concerns but they could be tempted in

[WheatleyRover]

This plan has always probably been on the back burner for Peel, any interest they had in continuing to run the Airport went when the Government rejected the train station and free port status.

[roverstillidie91]

Seems that there is more action going on with Nick Fletcher (Doncaster MP) and not sure why Ros Jones always gets voted in as Doncaster Mayor always just seem to bother when there is a photo opportunity. And the South Yorkshire Mayor doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Why do we vote these Mayors in anyway?

Here is the link again https://www.change.org/p/save-doncaster-sheffield-airport-savedoncasterairport?redirect=false

It is currently at just over 81,000

[Filo]

Seems that there is more action going on with Nick Fletcher (Doncaster MP) and not sure why Ros Jones always gets voted in as Doncaster Mayor always just seem to bother when there is a photo opportunity. And the South Yorkshire Mayor doesn't seem to be doing anything.

Why do we vote these Mayors in anyway?

Here is the link again https://www.change.org/p/save-doncaster-sheffield-airport-savedoncasterairport?redirect=false

It is currently at just over 81,000

Nick Fletcher is the photo op king, he can’t even get his Transport Minister to attend meetings about the airport

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

He claims the powers are devolved which they are in teesside so you'd think would be here too.

Criticise him filo but his updates daily on this are very thorough.  With a regional mayor etc it shouldn't need the transport minister to attend.

[roversdude]

This from a mail shot I get - looks like the train station is back on
https://www.saferhighways.co.uk/post/doncaster-sheffield-to-benefit-from-5-7bn-city-transport-fund?mc_cid=8f51aa8728&mc_eid=d936b6a865

[Sprotyrover]

This from a mail shot I get - looks like the train station is back on
https://www.saferhighways.co.uk/post/doncaster-sheffield-to-benefit-from-5-7bn-city-transport-fund?mc_cid=8f51aa8728&mc_eid=d936b6a865

I have had a look and it is talking about building a Railway station with 100 metre long platforms capable of being extended to 150 metres, a link will be built connecting the East Coast main line to the new station.

[roversdude]

Seems a strange time to announce it though bearing in mind how Peel are acting.
Spur onto ECML and extend TRU through to the airport would be great business and open it up to most of the country