Airport lights set to return as part of reopening

Planning permission to install approach lights at Doncaster Sheffield Airport has been submitted by City of Doncaster Council.

It comes after it was revealed that South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority would buy the airport and adjacent land subject to a deal with landowner Peel Group going through.

The airport closed in November 2022 and since then the council has been working to reopen it with public funds after attempts to find a private operator failed.

Simon Hinchley, from Fly Doncaster Ltd, the arm's-length company set up by the council to run the airport, said: "Reinstalling approach lighting is another important step towards the operational readiness of this airport."

The application to re-install approach lights was submitted to the local planning authority on 16 October.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, if approved, the lights would be in the same location as they had been before, and the latest technology would be used to ensure the resilience of the infrastructure.

Hinchley, executive director for airport operations at Fly Doncaster, said: "Approach lighting has been in place at this location for at least 40 years, previously in its guise as RAF Finningley and latterly to support air movements at Doncaster Sheffield Airport from 2005 to 2022.

"In the coming months, we will also be carrying out work on the runway lights themselves, to ensure we are in a good position to welcome flights back and manage the airfield in a safe and responsible manner, conforming to all regulatory guidance."

While the applicant and local planning authority are both City of Doncaster Council, planning is a separate, quasi-judicial function, with the authority's own applications facing the same processes as those from third parties.

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