A new airport and a national urban park are planned for Durham region – east of Toronto.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the 75-square-kilometre Pickering Lands area that   Ottawa acquired back in 1972 – will be the site of a new airport to be built as early as 2027.

In addition to the new transportation hub, nearly 20 square kilometres of green space  is being parcelled out for the Rouge National Urban Park – which will be 13 times the size of Vancouver’s scenic Stanley Park.

Additional land will also be set aside for economic development, and Flaherty says Ottawa will consult with community and business groups on what to build.

Residents who live near the proposed airport site in north Pickering have fought plans for an airport for years over concerns about noise, pollution and a decline in property values.