Former England star Gary Neville has unveiled his multi million-pound plans to build two new skyscrapers in central Manchester housing a 5-star hotel and luxury apartments.

The 'St Michael's' project, to include one 31-storey tower block and one with 21 storeys, will involve the demolition of several existing older buildings in the city centre around Jackson's Row.

The former Manchester United captain, from Bury, said: "Our vision is to deliver the biggest statement in architecture and development that Manchester has seen in modern times."

Neville, 41, said the project, which includes a new synagogue and three new public spaces, would bring back life to a "key, underused area of the city" and create over 1,300 jobs.

The scheme is being planned by the St Michael's Partnership, an international consortium including Singapore's Rowsley Ltd, Beijing Construction and Engineering Group International and Jackson's Row Developments Limited, formed by Neville, fellow United star Ryan Giggs and businessman Brendan Flood.

The project hit the news last winter when Neville - who owned a mansion in Bolton for a number of years - allowed around 30 homeless men to squat in one of the old buildings on the site, the Grade II listed former stock exchange building.

Some conservationists have expressed concerns about the fate of some of the city's historic buildings as part of the development.