A review commissioned by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard has recommended that the government should introduce new legislation to allow public authorities to purchase major privately-owned assets threatened with closure.
The South Yorkshire Strategic Infrastructure Inquiry report follows the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport in 2022. The review was heavily informed by the airport's shutdown, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
What the review recommends
The report says that if closing a major public asset would have a "damaging, harmful and detrimental" economic impact, the government should step in.
It recommends that local authorities, regional governments or specific national bodies should have the right to temporarily halt the closure or sale of such assets. This would allow time for a comprehensive impact assessment and exploration of alternative management or ownership models.
The review also suggests creating a statutory right for public authorities to purchase the asset at market value through a simplified Compulsory Purchase Order process if the owner will not voluntarily sell.
Context: Doncaster Sheffield Airport
DSA closed in 2022 after the owners and operators, Peel Group, said the site was no longer "economically viable". Doncaster Council, backed financially by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, subsequently pursued a compulsory purchase order 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.
Martin McKervey, the inquiry's chair and report author, said the DSA closure had "underscored" that the loss of critical infrastructure could have detrimental effects on the community and the local economy.
National aviation strategy proposed
The report also recommended a "national regional aviation strategy", saying that the closure of DSA "highlights the vulnerability of regional airports to operational and financial pressures". Such a strategy would allow local authorities to pool resources, share best practice and advocate collectively for regional airports.
