Manchester Airport is set to receive a £100 million investment into 1.5 million square feet of new office space.
The development will see the creation of more than 1,800 jobs and forms part of the £650 million ‘Airport City’ scheme, which aims to boost the local economy.
Construction could start this year along with the Cargo Centre, forming what will be the South section of the ‘Enterprise Zone’ set up in March 2011.
John Atkins, Airport City Director, said the scheme is expected to create a sustainable international commercial product that provides world class logistics facilities for the global marketplace. He added it will give access to more than 24 million people who are based within two hours’ drive of Manchester Airport.
More than four million square feet has been planned for the area, including 150 acres of commercial outlets and Grade A office space. Manchester Airport Group expects the project to take around 15 years to complete, with some of its key predicted outcomes being 20,000 jobs created, doubled passenger capacity, an increased international presence and the airport becoming carbon-neutral.
Taking advantage of Manchester Airport’s well-connected location, the project is hoping to boost international trade, reduce transit times and make supply chains more efficient. This in turn should have a positive knock-on effect on the local community.