Planners will decide on the scheme in the summer

Project leaders have submitted a planning application to the city council for the complex in the Lace Market area.

It will hold exhibitions, live art, education activities, conferences and club nights.

The Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham (CCAN) has been planned for several years and will go before planners early in the summer.

Industrial heritage

It is being led by Nottingham City Council, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University, and supported by Arts Council England and the Greater Nottingham Partnership.

Michiel Stevenson, chairman of the Lace Market Heritage Trust, said: "The project has been under consideration for many years and we are very pleased that the final design reflects the industrial heritage and character of the Lace Market.

"We believe that the Centre for Contemporary Art will have a very positive impact on the area and act as a gateway to the Lace Market."

Michael Williams, corporate director for leisure and community services at the city council, said the CCNA would boost the local community and was part of the city's "far-reaching ambitions on a national and international stage".