The New Doncaster Sheffield Airport-M18 Link Road Is Under Construction. How Are Logistics Businesses Set To Benefit?

Construction of the new FARRRS Link Road, connecting Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the M18, started on site in October this year. But what are the facts behind the project, and what will it mean for businesses located in Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region?

Here we answer some key questions regarding the strategic objectives behind the new road, and consider how regional businesses are likely to benefit from this major infrastructure investment.

The FARRRS Link Road - what is it?

The FARRRS Link Road is a new £56m infrastructure investment designed to significantly improve access to Doncaster Sheffield Airport and open up new development sites along the route. The new road will be just under 3 miles in length, connecting M18 junction 3 with the 'Parrots Corner' junction of the A638. From there, airport access will be via existing, recently improved roads - a leg of approximately 2 miles. The road is projected to become fully operational in early 2016.

What does 'FARRRS' stand for?

'FARRRS' is the 'Finningley and Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme', reflecting the economic development objectives behind the project. The road is designed to stimulate major new developments as well as improving access to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

How is the FARRRS Link Road being funded?

The £56m project is being funded with:

• About £34m from private sector partners with key developments along the route: Harworth Estates, the Peel Group and Verdion
• About £22m from public-sector sources: the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) (£18m), Doncaster Council (£3.6m) and The Local Transport Plan (£0.4m)

How will the FARRRS Link Road improve access to Doncaster Sheffield Airport?

Journey times to the airport will improve significantly:

The FARRRS Link Road will transform access to Doncaster Sheffield Airport by delivering the following significant improvements in journey times (projections):

Drive times stated assume an average speed of 56mph.
Source (distances): Peel Airports / Peel Group

The new drive time from Sheffield city centre to Doncaster Sheffield Airport will be just 25 minutes:

Here's how that reduced, post-FARRRS, city centre drive time compares with other UK regional airports:

City	Airport	Journey Time
Sheffield	Doncaster Sheffield (with FARRRS)	25 mins
Liverpool	Liverpool John Lennon	22 mins
Nottingham	East Midlands	28 mins
Derby	East Midlands	26 mins
Leicester	East Midlands	30 mins
Bristol	Bristol	22 mins

Source: Google Maps


With the FARRRS Link Road in place, it will take just 3 minutes longer to drive from Sheffield to DSA than it takes to drive from Liverpool to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and less time than it takes to drive from Nottingham to East Midlands Airport. This significantly improved airport catchment area is likely to appeal to airlines and air cargo operators seeking to attract passengers and freight from one of the UK's major conurbations. Their services are, in turn, likely to attract business from companies in the Sheffield City Region in need of fast, efficient air travel and air freight services.

How will the FARRRS Link Road stimulate new, logistics-focused developments in Doncaster?

The FARRRS Link Road will open up major development sites along the route targeted at logistics and distribution sector occupants. These key sites include:

• The Peel Group's Robin Hood Airport Business Park, directly on the Doncaster Sheffield Airport site. The Business Park comprises 164 acres (66 hectares) with planning consent for over 2m sq.ft. (188,000 sq.m.) of commercial development. (Find more site details here.)
• The 'iPort' inland port development, offering large-scale, rail-linked distribution warehousing, an inter-modal container facility and customs clearance / bonded warehousing on site. The development will be located close to M18 junction 3, with access directly from the new link road. (Find more site details here.)

The road will, additionally, open up other major regeneration projects, including the construction of 1,200 new homes by Harworth Estates on the former Rossington Colliery site - creating new opportunities for both living and working in the area. (Find out more here.)

How will the FARRRS Link Road improve Doncaster's 'Logistics Hub UK' proposition to logistics companies?

For companies with intermodal freight transport requirements, the FARRRS Link Road will function as a central artery in Doncaster's 'Logistics Hub UK' cluster of multimodal freight terminals, further enhancing the town's logistics offer. Journey times between terminals will be reduced to just a few minutes, providing companies with maximum flexibility in logistics planning and enabling the minimisation of transport costs.

The major freight terminals at the heart of Doncaster's 'Logistics Hub UK' cluster are:

• Doncaster Sheffield Airport (Find out more here.)
• Doncaster International Railport (Find out more here.)
• The iPort inland port - coming soon (Find out more here.)

The benefits to businesses of the new Doncaster Sheffield Airport-M18 Link Road - a summary

1. Journey times to the airport (for business passengers and freight) will reduce significantly.
2. More passenger and freight airlines are likely to be attracted to operate from the airport, based on an expanded 30-minute 'City Region' catchment area.
3. New, large-scale development sites will be opened up, targeted at major logistics and distribution occupants.
4. The road will function as a 'central artery' connecting the intermodal freight terminals in Doncaster's 'Logistics Hub UK' cluster.
5. The road will contribute to the on-going development of Doncaster's powerful, multimodal proposition to companies in the logistics and distribution sectors.

Contact the Logistics Hub UK team today to find out more.


Author
Nick Smillie
Logistics Hub UK Project Team