FRESH details of the £15 million proposed new creative centre at York St John University have emerged as residents give their verdict.

A public exhibition featuring the spectacular designs for the new arts, design and performance centre on the Lord Mayor’s Walk campus opened yesterday in the university’s Arts Foyer.

The development includes a 200-seat auditorium, modelled on New York City’s Lincoln Centre, and intended to give the audience a stunning view of York Minster.

However, architects behind the scheme admitted that a computer generated image showing a large window at the back of the auditorium stage, through which the audience would be able to see the cathedral, involved a little ‘artistic licence' - the view would be partially obscured by trees, particularly in summer when they are in leaf.

The architects also revealed that three accommodation blocks backing on to Garden Street, which currently house about 130 students and date back to the 1960s, will need to be demolished to make way for the new centre.

They said the blocks were outdated and the students would be accommodated elsewhere.

They revealed that the projected timescale for the development was for a planning application to be submitted this July, demolition work to start in July 2019 and construction work to start in January 2020.

Fitting out would take place from May 2021 and teaching would start in September 2021, according to the projections.

The new centre, intended to form a campus focal point and ‘beacon’, is the winning design by London-based architects Tate Harmer in a competition organised by the university.

Rob Hickey, university executive director of innovation and growth, said the plans were being brought forward as York St John was one of the fastest growing universities in the country, with an 11 per cent increase in student numbers to 7,000 by this September and a target of 8,000 for 2021.

He said up to 200 new jobs would be created directly by the expansion, which would provide 4,500 square metres of new teaching space.

The auditorium plans were given a cautious welcome by two local residents, Janet Hazlewood and neighbour Jim Beer. She said the development would be "exciting" for "all the young things", while he said: “The new buildings look nice - it’s nice for York to have something new and not just old relics.”

The exhibition continues between 9am and 6pm today in the university’s Arts Foyer, followed by a public meeting from 7pm-8.30pm this evening in Quad South Hall.