Manchester City Council has approved plans for the largest regeneration scheme to date to be developed in the city.

The outline planning application for Holt Town Waterfront in East Manchester was submitted by developer Cibitas Investments. The 38-hectare development is less than a mile east of Manchester city centre and is the largest planning application ever to be approved in Manchester.

The urban quarter will provide more than 4,300 new homes over the next 10-15 years, the majority of which will be accommodation for families. The area will also benefit from a new Metrolink tram stop linking the area both into the city centre and out to the east, a new primary school, studio/office accommodation and a range of shops and bars.

Tom Russell, chief executive of New East Manchester, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to create a new concept in family housing that is not only unique to east Manchester but anywhere in the UK.

“Holt Town Waterfront is strategically located close to Manchester city centre, and provides an opportunity to create a new community that will integrate with the existing neighbourhoods. Families will have the chance to invest in their future by setting down roots and staying within in the city.” The first sites are expected to be released to the market in early 2008.