Doncaster taxpayers 'would've ended up paying the price' if DSA project had fallen through
We've been speaking to Doncaster's Chamber of Commerce about the latest developments with DSA
It is feared taxpayers would've 'ended up paying the price' - if funding for Doncaster Sheffield Airport had been pulled this week.
On Monday - Doncaster Council resolved a dispute and agreed to go ahead with the ÂŁ57 million loan.
Dan Fell is the Chief Exec of Doncaster's Chamber of Commerce - He explains why it's about more than just the re-opening DSA:
"I think the bigger jeopardy was around South Yorkshire's reputation as a place to do business and a place to invest.
"If we'd been seen to do a U-turn on a decision of this magnitude, I think that would've really undermined investor confidence in South Yorkshire, so I'm really pleased that hasn't happened.
"Somewhere between ÂŁ40-50 million has already been spent on this project.
"If the decision had been made to reverse that loan, then that is money that the Doncaster taxpayer would then have been on the hook for.
"48 hours before the Doncaster Council meeting on Monday, myself and 80 other senior business leaders in the city took a fairly unprecedented step of putting pen to paper to say that getting DSA back open is absolutely critical for our economy.
"We needed that injection of confidence into the area.
"There was real jeopardy going into the debate this week, and the stakes were extremely high.
"Doncaster Sheffield Airport is the single biggest ticket in the region that we have what can capitalise growth at a time that we need to do exactly that."
It's hoped passenger flights will begin in 2028 - after the airport closed back in 2022.