ANDREW Simpson, the managing director of Peel Holdings, which owns the 200-acre site earmarked for Salford Quays' £400m mediacity:uk development, has issued a rallying call to north west businesses to get behind the scheme.

Mr Simpson said the project could give Greater Manchester a global reputation for being a media hub in the same way that London has gained worldwide acclaim as a centre for finance, which he said had been achieved through developments such as Canary Wharf and against many predictions in the early 1980s.

He urged delegates at the Northwest Regional Development Agency's annual meeting in Manchester to give their full support to the development, which is in its infancy.

Creating a cluster of media businesses was a `huge opportunity' for the region, he said.

The Quays' mediacity:uk will be home to 1,150 businesses and will have the BBC as its anchor tenant. It will provide employment for 15,000 jobs and contribute £200m a year to the region's economy.

Mr Simpson vowed it would cater for start-up firms as well as larger organisations, bringing together previously fragmented industries.

In addition to media-based enterprises, the scheme will feature a hotel, restaurants, bars, health centres and residential areas.

It will be a `city with its own rhythm where created people can work, live and play', said Mr Simpson.

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said digital and creative industries were a driver of growth for the region's economy.