The incredible £12.3bn plan to turn an abandoned airport into huge new mega-city

An abandoned airport in Canada is set to be transformed into a sprawling mega-city after £12.3billion ($22bn Canadian dollar) plans were given the green light by officials.

The plans in Toronto, which could eventually see housing for up to 83,500 residents will see developers reutilise 370 acres of unused land to create seven neighbourhoods over the next 30 years.

It is expected that the project will support more than 41,000 jobs in the city with proposals being made to expand the development even further.

The disused airport which opened in 1929, is a former World War 2 hangar that was utilised by the Royal Canadian Air Force as they aided the fight against Nazi Germany.

Northcrest CEO Derek Goring told The Wall Street Journal: “It's hard to make a planned community seem authentic when everything is brand new, So we really decided to lean into the aerospace legacy.”

Developers plan to keep some of the original parts of the airport, including 11 aircraft hangars and half a mile of runway, to give the city a unique feel that acknowledges the area’s history.

The old hangars will sit at the centre of the first mixed-use district whilst the runway will serve as a pedestrian walkway lined with shops, restaurants and a library.

Sarah Phipps, the city planner who is also overseeing the project, said a series of parks will also connect to the runway.

'It's going to take a while to develop but it's going to attract people from all over the city,' she told the Toronto Star.

Northcrest considered demolishing everything on site for a fresh start, but Goring concluded it wouldn't be a good idea.

Locals told the Wall Street Journal that they wanted the land maintained as much as it possible so the site's history of building planes for World War II could be preserved.

It is expected that the first development will create 7,000 jobs allowing residents to live near their place of work.

The first mixed-use district will comprise 2,850 housing units which will largely be made up of mid-rise apartment buildings.

Northcrest Developments hope that the unique nature of the development will attract companies looking for workspace that does not yet currently exist.

Goring said: “There's an opportunity to attract companies that actually want to be here but can't because they can't find these types of locations.”

Wide-open spaces are rare in Toronto, with a strategy plan aimed at increasing green spaces claiming that the city is comprised of only 13 percent green space in 2019.