Hereford'S street map may have to be re-drawn to include a multi-million pound arts academy.

Unveiled by executives at Herefordshire College of Art and Design, the visionary project, to be located near the city centre, will be at the hub of the future of arts education in the whole of the West Midlands.

The concept is unique in the UK and will bring together art and business, attracting 2000 students to the city and 600 creative businesses.

It is envisaged that the radical project, which has the working title 'Hereford Arts Academy', will take the form of a group of buildings with streets between, linking to the city centre.

Architectural descriptions vary from 'arts quarter' and 'village' to 'market place', where people can meet to trade in ideas, crafts and skills, but the exact form and location is not yet known.

Funds earmarked

Art college principal Jude Freeman said the changing nature of education and the college's relationship with local schools is central to the project.

"Next month the college will be submitting a proposal to the Learning and Skills Council to become a centre of vocational excellence for the creative industries.

"The Higher Education Funding Council has earmarked significant funds for a visible presence in Hereford. The future of further and higher education provision in Herefordshire is under review and we hope for exciting changes that will represent very real progress for the county," she said.

Arts organisations and businesses are being consulted across Herefordshire and the West Midlands to decide its form, and already months of meetings have taken place.

The academy will be a feather in the cap for the county, picked to house the project, due to its growing international prominence as a centre for rural crafts and creative excellence.