Review says new laws should protect infrastructure

A review commissioned by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has said there should be new legislation to allow public authorities to purchase major privately-owned assets threatened by closure.

It followed the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) in 2022.

At that point, Doncaster Council - backed financially by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) - was pursuing a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to take over the airport.

The South Yorkshire Strategic Infrastructure Inquiry report has now recommended that if closing a major public asset would have a "damaging, harmful and detrimental" economic impact, the government should intervene.

Although the inquiry looked at all big infrastructure - including water and energy - it was heavily informed by the airport's closure.

The inquiry's chair and review author Martin McKervey said the DSA closure had "underscored" that the loss of critical infrastructure could have detrimental effects on the community and the local economy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

"This amendment should grant local authorities, regional governments, or specific national bodies the right to temporarily halt the closure or sale of such assets to allow for a comprehensive impact assessment and the exploration of alternative management or ownership models," the report said.

"Extensively, this amendment should also consider creating a statutory right for the public authority to purchase the asset at market value through a simplified Compulsory Purchase Order process if the owner will not voluntarily sell."

DSA closed in 2022 after the owners and operators, Peel Group, said the site was no longer "economically viable" and with the financial help of SYMCA, the council pursued a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to take over the airport.

The Combined Authority approved £160m to reopen the airport in September 2025 and Doncaster Council wants to reopen the site using public funding.

The report also said there should be a "national regional aviation strategy" and said the closure of DSA "highlights the vulnerability of regional airports to operational and financial pressures".

It said a national Regional Aviation Strategy would mean local authorities could pool resources, share best practice and advocate collectively for regional airports, so they continued to "serve their communities effectively".

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North