A é130m sporting and leisure development is to be built in Salford.

Ministers have given the go-ahead after a public inquiry earlier this year.

The centrepiece of the plan is a 22,000-capacity stadium for Salford City Reds Rugby League team, costing é35m. It will be built on an 80-acre site near the M60 between the A57 Liverpool Road and Manchester Ship Canal at Barton. The project includes:

A four-star hotel;

Casino;

Shopping mall.

The decision guarantees the Reds' future in Salford and was welcomed by club chairman John Wilkinson.

He said: "I am absolutely ecstatic. It is a major project that means so much to the city of Salford and to this great club."

Ruth Kelly's Department for Communities and Local Government approved the development after considering recommendations by a government inspector who conducted the inquiry.

As MP for Bolton, Ms Kelly was not allowed to make the decision, which was taken on her behalf by another planning minister.

Alternative

But in a letter to Salford council the government says Mrs Kelly "agrees there is no good reason to question that a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 is appropriate.

"She concedes that if Salford Reds are to retain their place in the Super League the club must build a new ground on a site other than the existing ground at The Willows."

Salford council gave the scheme planning approval in November last year, but it was "called in" by the government due to its size, and a public inquiry was held.

Mr Wilkinson, who is Rugby League's longest serving chairman, has worked for six years to bring a new stadium to Salford.

He had warned that if the new stadium was not built the club's only alternative was to move out of the city.

The stadium is expected to have huge economic benefits for the city, creating jobs, and helping to put Salford on the sporting map.

The stadium will mean the club can compete with the elite of the game, and they have already recruited community development coaches to extend the appeal of the club into Bolton, Manchester, and Cheshire, and scour the country for outstanding talent.

Salford planning spokesman Derek Antrobus said: "This decision is a huge boost for the city, and we are delighted for the club and its supporters.

"We note the inspector's comments about the benefits which will arise from developing a new stadium in the city, and the importance of sport as a driver for regeneration.

"Now the detailed work will begin on delivering a world class, 21st century sports facility for a 21st century city."

Norman Owen, leader of the council's Liberal Democrats, said: "It is not only about having a first-class stadium but also about the community in the Barton and Winton areas, who have been starved of investment getting some benefit.

"I am pleased for the fans, but the community must also gain from the infrastructure that will now be put in place."

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