Plans include a new downtown business district

Plans for a £650m business district at Manchester Airport have been given the go ahead by Manchester City Council.

The Manchester Airport Group, which is developing the site, said work would start within weeks.

The Airport City Manchester development will include offices, industrial units, hotels, retail and leisure facilities.

There will also be a 13 acre park, surrounded by a “downtown” district of distinctive new buildings.

John Atkins, MAG’s Airport City director, said: “Manchester is already well-established as the global gateway for the North – Airport City will not only enhance this status, but also further the city’s ambition to become a major European and global business city, by bringing a world-class commercial product that is sustainable and innovative to the UK for the first time.”