A PLANNING application has been submitted to turn a defunct office block into a new hub for Winchester School of Art.

Southampton University, which runs the school, has applied to Winchester City Council to modify the currently empty Capital House on Andover Road near the station.

The prospective changes to the building include to its facade, the replacement of the current entrance and access ramp and the removal of a "roof turret".

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Capital House, Winchester (Image: NQ)

In March, Southampton University applied for a change of use of Capital House in Andover Road.

The four-storey mid-1980s building of 2,550 square metres would be the first School of Art building away from its main campus around half a mile away on Park Avenue.

Until recently, Capital House was used as civic back-office space for Hampshire County Council but has been vacant for a prolonged period.

It was also used as the temporary base for Winchester Library when the building in Jewry Street was being converted into the Discovery Centre in the 2000s.

In a letter published with the application in March, the university's agent said: "Our client is excited about the opportunity of bringing forward a beneficial use for the future of Capital House by creating a new teaching space for Winchester School of Arts in a prominent location.

"It is deemed that the site is suitable for use by the school as a centre for creative technologies for the university, by virtue of the existing layout and floorspace arrangement.

"The building is proposed to be used solely for academic teaching space and will not include dedicated social facilities. There is an opportunity to give Capital House its own distinct identity in this area and secure a foothold for the University of Southampton in Winchester, whilst maintaining close links to its core campus.

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"Establishing Capital House as a Centre for Creative Technologies has the potential to create a vibrant and exciting hub for research, teaching, public engagement and enterprise, building on the existing success of the Games design and Creative Technology courses which currently do not have dedicated fit-for-purpose facilities on the main WSA campus.

"The proposed use of the site will positively contribute to the local economy, through the active use of the site as an educational facility. Bringing life back to this key site will have positive knock-on effects on local businesses through students benefitting from local amenities and commercial offerings.

"This change of use application acts as the precursor to a future application relating to refurbishment works to facilitate the new use sought for the building. This application is submitted to gain consent for educational use and secure the site as being suitable for the Winchester School of Art’s intended aspirations."