Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
£11m arts centre to ‘celebrate heritage of university site’
Plans for an £11m arts centre at Canterbury Christ Church University have been revealed at a public exhibition.
Bosses say the development will be a “striking exemplar and contemporary building” at an important gateway into the campus, but will also reflect and celebrate the heritage of the site and the Abbey precinct wall.
The scheme went on show last week and is part of the university’s 15-year estate masterplan.
Campus bosses say that as well as significantly improving student facilities and experience, the centre will be a key place for community arts and cultural events.
Situated between the music facilities in the Maxwell Davies and Coleridge buildings and the St Gregory’s Music Centre, the 2,615 sqm building will offer courses run by the School of Media, Art and Design and the School of Music and Performing Arts.
It will also provide the opportunity for the introduction of new courses that will meet the need of the area’s growing arts and culture sector.
Identified simply as ‘building one’ on the university’s estate masterplan, it is part of the redevelopment of the North Holmes Road campus over the next 10 to 15 years, aimed at modernising facilities.
As part of the masterplan, the university also plans to redevelop the former Canterbury prison site, which it bought in 2014.
Vice-chancellor Prof Rama Thirunamachandran says it has provided an exciting opportunity to transform and extend the campus.
Other phases of the project include a new building in the prison quarter for academic study, including engineering and science and the conversion of the prison buildings themselves into a student hub and heritage centre.
The phased transformation of the campus will also open up views over St Augustine’s Abbey, St Martin’s Church and Canterbury Cathedral.
It also means more of the university’s facilities can be concentrated on the campus and will eventually result in the disposal of other off-campus accommodation.
Bosses say it will allow the university to achieve its academic vision and respond to the changing needs of students and staff.
The art building plans can been seen online and views submitted via www.canterbury. ac.uk/about-us/master-planningreview/ until Monday, November 21.