York's economy is set to be bolstered to the tune of £185 million a year following government plans to expand the city's university campus.
The £500 million project, which is being developed on a plot comprising hundreds of hectares, will double student numbers in the next decade.
Some 4,500 jobs will also be created by the Heslington East project, which was assessed in a government inquiry over seven months.
Former BBC director Greg Dyke, chancellor of the university, said the green light for the project represented "great news for the university and great news for York as a city".
He also told the York Press: "The challenge now is to make sure that Heslington East retains both the beauty and the informality of the existing campus, so that it is a very welcoming place for everyone in York."
A number of local residents and conservationists have previously shown strong opposition to the project.
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