The years of aggressive lobbying and promotion by Manchester City Council through its chief executive and leader is paying off.
The city is being used as the template for the whole of the UK and will be the centrepiece of the creation of a new master region stretching from Liverpool to Hull taking in all the major cities of Yorkshire. The new vision is being promoted by Chancellor George Osborne which gives it added momentum.
Clearly there are political considerations for Osborne and the Conservative Party in a region dominated by their political rivals but it also sends a message to Scotland about the benefits of a countrywide approach to economic growth.
The market has responded and institutions have been buying in the region and developers moving ahead on large schemes. The logic is to go with the flow, improve transport including a fast link across the Pennines (as well as HS2 to the south).
What is important is the widening geographic spread of the improvement. Merseyside certainly looks considerably healthier than a few years ago with office lettings increasing and Knowsley is getting a considerable amount of new logistics space.
At stake, it could be argued, is the balance of the UK with a dynamic and prosperous north pulling in investment and companies. Apart from anything else, there is more space to develop in the region.