The University of Chester has submitted plans to transform part of Gateway House into a new digital hub and public visitor centre.

The proposals would see the existing ground-floor university reception area and four commercial units on Northgate Street converted into flexible university space.

Several of the units are currently vacant and were previously used as hot food takeaways.

According to planning documents, the scheme would create a digital hub for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, alongside a public-facing visitor centre and university-focused retail space.

Facilities would include teaching areas, event spaces, exhibition areas and public engagement zones, with plans for TV studios, podcast and interview rooms, galleries and digital demonstration spaces with specialist equipment.

The university says the hub would provide training in high-demand digital skills and help address recognised skills shortages locally and nationally.

Supporting the university's ambition to establish Chester as a "Learning City", the development would also provide a permanent city-centre venue for residents and visitors to engage with its teaching, research and cultural activities.

A key part of the proposal involves enclosing the building's existing recessed ground-floor frontage with a new glazed facade.

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The change would create a stronger building line along Northgate Street and improve the connection between the building and the surrounding public space, according to the plans.

Described in the application as a "weak and fragmented" frontage, the current ground-floor layout would be replaced with a more active and transparent frontage designed to improve the appearance of the area.

Gateway House's location next to Storyhouse is also highlighted as a benefit, with the university stating it would help strengthen links between education, creativity and Chester's cultural offer.

The application outlines benefits including the reuse of an existing building, improved public access to university activities, support for skills development and a contribution to Chester's cultural and visitor economy.

It states: "The siting of these facilities at Gateway House positions them adjacent to Storyhouse, one of Chester's most significant cultural assets, thereby fostering collaboration and reinforcing a cultural and creative cluster within the city centre."

Whilst the plans would mean the loss of some existing takeaway units, the university says this would be outweighed by the wider benefits of the scheme, including new learning facilities, cultural activity, increased footfall and improved use of an existing city-centre building.

You can find the full application here.