Plans to create a whole new residential and commercial district on the outskirts of Edinburgh have moved a step closer.

The plan is to create an “extension to the city of Edinburgh” which will consist of 2000 new homes, office space and shopping streets and is located on to turn fields and scrubland next to Edinburgh Airport, stretching from RBS Heaquarters at Gogarburn to the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston.

The £310m business-friendly development was first muted in 2011 is estimated to have the potential to inject £4.4 billion into the Scottish economy, creating around 4,000 jobs.

The development will have its own tram stop and with its own shopping area and being close to the airport, people will be encouraged to use the area 24/7 even after the office workers have gone home.

The development had been stalled, however improvements to Edinburgh’s transport links and the growth of the nearby airport have all come together to make this project more likely to proceed.

Marketing material being distributed by Edinburgh council speak of the new Edinburgh Business Gateway (as the development will initially be known) as having “unparalleled transportation links.”

There are still some levels of planning to go through before the project can advance however it’s expected that this proposal will be accepted relatively quickly.

The scheme is being proposed by a partnership of four different companies, including New Ingliston Limited, the firm that originally purchased the majority of the site in 1988 with the aim of developing the area.

A spokesman for New Ingliston said: “This is an exceptionally important and strategic development for Edinburgh.

“The provision of the tram makes for a unique place of the highest quality that is truly linked in to Edinburgh and will function as a 24/7 extension to the city.

“The balance of business, residential and leisure accommodation will undoubtedly create a community of merit.”

26 acres of the site was originally proposed as a “garden district” on the western fringe of the city, however this proposal was rejected and has not been included on the renewed planning proposals.

This development should prove to be great news for the construction industry in both Scotland and the rest of the UK, and hails the initial phase of what is expected to be a significant expansion of city in the coming years. It’s anticipated that construction jobs, construction supplies and building products will be sourced locally.