A rail link to Leeds-Bradford Airport is "fundamental" for the economic future of the Aire Valley, it was claimed yesterday.

The claim came from a leading figure behind the Aire Valley masterplan, a document which sets out how Bingley, Shipley and Keighley could be developed.

The consultants behind the masterplan, Arup, gave a presentation yesterday at a event to launch the ambitious plans to turn the area into Europe's centre of digital communications.

Arup has been employed by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward to create the masterplan, which would complement Bradford city centre's ambitious redevelopment and could lead Airedale to become known as "Digidale".

Mike Osborne, project manager for the plans, which include radical development of innovative business and education, improved public transport and the environment, said: "One of our big ideas is about the rail connection to the airport.

"Getting the connection to the airport could fundamentally change the way the valley works as it would connect it to international markets."

Mr Osborne said this would be complemented by improving existing, and creating new, railway stations and making transport services more efficient for the public.

Development of the economy in Airedale itself was vital to improve the quality of life there and he said the public's views would be essential to any proposals.

"What we've got to do is create gross domestic product growth per head which means better jobs, better employment and better salaries for people who are in the valley," he said.

"But if we destroy the environment we won't have achieved anything so it's critical that we preserve it."

Arup's £475,000 blueprint for the area was officially unveiled at the Ramada Jarvis Bankfield Hotel in Bingley yesterday. Arup is heading a consortium which aims to improve investment potential in Bingley, Keighley and Shipley.

The Airedale Partnership, led by private sector business, is already working to build on the growth of knowledge-based industries in the area and is helping to draw up the masterplan.

Councillor Simon Cooke (Con, Bingley Rural), chairman of the Airedale Partnership, told the conference: "The Bradford district isn't just centred on Bradford but is made up of other important places including Keighley, Bingley and Shipley.

"It is vital that we recognise that and put something into place to support economic development in these areas.

"The masterplan is just the start. The hard work is to put it into operation."

As revealed in the Telegraph & Argus last week, the masterplan aims to build on the success of existing high-tech firms such as Pace and Filtronic to turn Bingley, Shipley, Saltaire and Keighley into renowned centres of cutting-edge technology by 2020.

Further developments could include a digital college in Shipley, a financial sector in Bingley and a glass tower housing the research and development headquarters of a nano-technology and robotics firm in Keighley

It is expected that the Aire Valley masterplan will be completed by next spring, after a public consultation.