After years of controversy, a major business and housing complex in Co Antrim has been given the green light.

Jobs in the construction industry and in the business and retail developments will flow in after the Stormont Environment Minister Edwin Poots signed off on the huge development plan proposed for the Blaris area of Lisburn - costing an estimated £250 million.

The proposals by developers Snoddons and Killultagh cover 400 acres of land between Sprucefield and Knockmore and will see major residential and business development on the site.

Mr Poots said he hoped construction work could begin on the site next year.

The development includes plans for some two million square feet of business and commercial uses with potential to accommodate over 4,000 new jobs, as well as the potential to provide up to 3,000 new houses.

There are also plans for a neighbourhood centre to provide community services, a school and a 120 bedroom 4 star hotel.

The developers also plan to open up the southern bank of the River Lagan to create a 75-acre riverside park.

One of the most significant elements of the proposals will be the construction of a new M1 - Knockmore link road.

Sam Harris, director of Snoddons, said he was "delighted" the Development Framework had been signed off by Planners.

"These proposals confirm Lisburn's position as the fastest growing City in Northern Ireland and we want to assure that level of growth continues for the next 10 years," he said.

After signing off on the proposals, Mr Poots said: "The proposed development is of a hugely significant scale and will open up an area of Lisburn which will be unrivalled for space in any other town or city in Northern Ireland.

"It will improve the infrastructure in the city, including the development of the Knockmore Sprucefield link road and will also greatly assist in the opening up of the Maze site.

"What is particularly beneficial about this proposal is the job creation aspect," he continued. "A considerable amount of this development is given over to employment space and there will be thousands of long term jobs created once the construction work is completed.

"This I believe is one of the more significant announcements for the Lisburn area," he continued. noting that, on completion of the Planning Appeals Commission report on the number of houses that can be developed in the area, the application can then move forward with the potential for development to start next year.

(BMcC/GK)