Bold visions for the £150 million transformation of a university campus and “extension of Canterbury's historic city centre” are today revealed.

Canterbury Christ Church University has unveiled the masterplan for a radical overhaul of its site layout to incorporate the city's former prison next door.

Architects’ impressions show a dramatically altered campus featuring landmark buildings, a central square and a new student hub using elements of the listed prison structure.

Plans will also see a new public thoroughfare running through the heart of the university linking the Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s church – which together form the Canterbury’s World Heritage Site.

University bosses anticipate the transformation will cost about £150m over the next 10 to 15 years.

Vice Chancellor Rama Thirunamachandran told KentOnline: “What we want to do is to develop a plan which will, in the end, give the university a modern campus for the next half century.

“But it must work in a way which brings out the heritage of the city. We are thinking strategically about how this plays out for the city.

“We’re mindful about how we’re in a World Heritage Site. What we do has to be in keeping with that.

“We are thinking about lines of sight from St Martin’s Church, St Augustine’s Abbey, the Cathedral and how we sit in the middle.”

Graphics released by the university show a leafy campus with abundant green space.

A central square – known provisionally as Abbey Square – will sit at the centre of the campus, accessed by the new thoroughfare which follows the ancient pilgrims’ route.

Airy modern buildings are dotted throughout, including a new student hub within the former prison grounds making use of the listed brickwork but covered with a glass ceiling.

Canterbury Christ Church has the majority of its operations within the current 12-acre site running alongside North Holmes Road.

It also has Augustine House on the city’s ring-road, as well as several smaller buildings with teaching facilities dotted around Canterbury.

After snapping up the neighbouring prison for £7m three years ago, the university now has a further five acres on which to expand.

Prof Thirunamachandran said: “We were aware that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We had a 12-acre site surrounded by roads on three sides and on the fourth side the wall of the prison.

“The prison offered a unique opportunity. It’s the five acres that come with it. Add it to the current site and we are increasing by 40% to 17 acres.

“Over the next 15 years we will redevelop the 17-acre site. Once we have done that we will be in a position where the teaching accommodation will be on two sites – here and in Augustine House.

“That will let us dispose of some of the various external properties. We will have in the 17 acres sufficient space to meet all current and future requirements.

“We believe it’s positive for the site.”

Andrew Ironside, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Resources), says around 30% of the current campus buildings – largely constructed in the 1960s – would be replaced.

“Some of the buildings are coming pretty close to the end of their life,” he said. “They were built at a time when buildings were often not made to last.”

It is too early to say which buildings will be demolished or where individual departments will be relocated, he says.

“There are two important processes,” he explained.

“First, we have got to come up with a development brief which sets out the principles of the whole 17-acre site. We hope to submit that in the first quarter of next year, perhaps by Easter.

“Next, we need detailed proposals around the prison. We’ll announce in the next few weeks which architect we appoint.”

A key factor in the designs will be public access, he adds.

"An important element is how we open this to the public, connect it to the other sites," he said.

"Our vision is a route through the middle, for the public. In a sense, we can extend the historic city centre."

The university currently has about 18,000 students, and estimates this could swell to about 20,000 in the next few years.

Prof Thirunamachandran says it his job as the university’s head to create a “lasting legacy” for future students, city residents and visitors.

“It’s a huge privilege and a huge responsibility,” he said. “This will be very positive for the city as a whole.”