Oliver Clark takes a closer look at Manchester Airport's ambitious land development plans.

For John Atkins, managing director of MAG Developments, Manchester Airport Group's property and development arm, news the airport is to get a long awaited direct link to the city's Metrolink tram system is the last piece in the puzzle before final planning for the UK's first 'airport city' can begin.

It may only be the UK's fourth busiest gateway based on its 22mppa, but Manchester Airport has big plans to turn up to 93 hectares of surrounding land into a mixed-use commercial development capable of supporting offices, hotels, commercial plots and logistics warehousing.

With road, air and now rail connections in place in the form of the new Metrolink line, which is due to open in 2016, 'Airport City Manchester' will rise over the next 10-20 years and is the centrepiece of a concerted effort by MAG and its main stakeholder, Manchester City Council, to make the gateway an international business destination in its own right.

"Manchester is the only regional airport in the UK that has the numbers and capacity to make a project like this work. We've been looking at both airport and non-airport models and we are currently at the stage of master planning the scale of the concept and types of uses," says Atkins.

"When we began looking into this idea about three or four years ago, there were just four examples around the world - but now 13 of the top 25 European airports are pursuing airport city schemes. It is becoming an accepted concept worldwide," he enthuses.

Although plans for this ambitious real estate project were first muted more than a year ago, when Atkins helped secure a €17 million deal to buy 12 hectares of land from the Burford Group on the airport's outskirts, MAG believes it will be another 12 months before a definitive plan is outlined.

"It could be a mixed-use campus of multi-let offices, European and regional HQs and advanced manufacturing space; alongside hotels, leisure and retail, with new logistics stock and the possibility of some residential element also in the mix," Atkins explains.

In 2009 reports suggested this 'mini city' around Manchester Airport could support around 5,000 jobs, but Atkins is also keen to point out that the development will depend to a high degree on its inter-modal connections. The Metrolink tram line, for example, will provide a vital link between urban areas south of the city centre.

"It is not necessarily just about new uses, but about stretching the airport support uses that already exist on the site and how we integrate these different elements to create a world-class destination," he adds.

Manchester Airport has already outlined plans to develop parts of its 287 hectares of surrounding Green belt land, termed the Operational Area, to allow for an extension and redevelopment of its World Freight Terminal and other freight facilities.

Manchester Airport currently handles around 170,000 tonnes of import and export freight and mail annually. But by 2015 it's expected the airport will be handling around 250,000 tonnes of cargo per year and new handling facilities will be essential to support the increased traffic.

A major extension of Terminal 2 and other facilities is also planned to help the gateway deal with a projected doubling of passenger numbers to 50 million by 2030.

New commercial projects at Manchester Airport will no doubt also benefit the five business parks already located around the gateway: The Manchester Business Park, Atlas Business Park, Davenport Green (currently under construction), Sharston Industrial Estate and the Roundthorn Industrial Estate. The airport is also home to seven on-site hotels.

With much development already taking place Atkins is keen to emphasis the airport city project is just the next step in a long thought out plan for Manchester Airport.

"It is important to remember that we're not talking about a Greenfield site requiring vast infrastructure - significant development already exists at Manchester Airport and the infrastructure into the site: road, rail and Metrolink; is already secured too. It's a deliverable project that will provide a complimentary offering to the city centre and provide Manchester with a truly internationally competitive offer alongside Manchester's Media City and Sport City," concludes Atkins.