Ambitious plans for a £9m music and arts centre in a North Yorkshire city have been unveiled.

The facility at Cathedral Choir School, in Ripon, would include an 850-seat concert hall, plus smaller performance and teaching rooms.

Headmaster Richard PepysCOR hopes the facility can benefit both the pupils and the residents of Ripon.

He said: "We get by on the facilities we have at the school but they are not as good as they could be.

"In Ripon, there is also a lack of any decent performance venues.

"This is an opportunity at the Cathedral Choir School to build something which would enhance the school and enhance Ripon."

It is hoped a planning application can be submitted later this year, with the building completed during the 2006/07 academic year.

The project would be funded from a mixture of grants, fundraising, borrowing and the school's own funds.

"It will cost a lot of money but we wouldn't be going into this unless we felt it was something we could do.

"There are always circumstances beyond your control but if you don't have a dream of what you want to achieve, nothing will happen," added Mr Pepys.

Groups including Ripon Rowel Players, Ripon Amateur Operatic Society, the St Cecilia Orchestra and Ripon's sports and leisure clubs are all being consulted on the plans.

The school is also discussing the development with the Ripon City Partnership, whose 2020 Vision statement focuses on creating new performance areas and venues in the city.

Fiona Sullivan, the partnership's 2020 Vision project manager, welcomed the school's plans.

She said: "Ripon has many things going for it, including marvellous heritage and beautiful countryside but it has no decent concert hall for exhibitions and theatre performances.

"We welcome groups who want to move forward to establish facilities, especially if they feel they have access to funding."

The partnership aims to create a new 'cultural quarter' in Ripon and believes Cathedral School's plans fit in with this vision.

The quarter is now likely to consist of several cultural centres, rather than just one new building.