Gloucester language centre funding to be approved

THE funding for Gloucester's new £6 million language centre is set to be approved this week.

Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet looks set to give the innovative project the green light when it meets on Wednesday.

It will be based at the Blackfriars Priory in the city centre, and it is hoped the project will kickstart the regeneration of the wider Blackfriars area.

It will be designed to blend in with the adjacent Priory buildings, opening up the Priory to more visitors.

The Language Immersion Centre will be unique in the UK, and will teach rare languages.

Designed to help in teaching to diploma standard, it will give more than 800 14 to 19-year-olds the chance to use the languages in everyday situations, and will also be used by adult learners.

If the cabinet does give it the go-ahead, the centre should open in December 2011.

The funding will be made up of £5m from the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families, with £400,000 from the county council.

The remaining costs will be met by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) with £388,850, and English Heritage with £180,850.

The South West RDA also owns the land the centre will be built on, which they will pass on to the county council.

Councillor Mark Hawthorne, cabinet member for regeneration, said: "This is fantastic news. The Language Immersion Centre is a great step forward in the regeneration of Blackfriars.

"It's good to see this derelict building being demolished and refurbished. It shows the county council is committed to regeneration in Gloucester."

Chris Foley, head of regeneration at the South West RDA, said: "The Language Immersion Centre is part of a very exciting programme of work to regenerate the area around Blackfriars. Having such a unique facility next to the historic Blackfriars Priory, which will be fully refurbished as a social and entertainment venue, will help attract new businesses into the area and create a thriving new quarter."

Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda added: "I am pleased that this £5m of Government investment is now levering in additional mean from the local authority, and from the SWRDA.

"This confidence will hopefully lead to the wider regeneration of the entire Blackfriars area."