Planners have welcomed proposals for a multi-million pound facelift for King Alfred's College.

The Winchester college wants to refurbish the John Stripe theatre at its campus in Sparkford Road. It also has fledgling plans for a new student centre to replace the 1960s union building and dining hall.

Chris Higgins, director of estates at King Alfred's, said the theatre overhaul would cost over £2m and the student centre at least three times more.

He said the theatre was opened in 1969 as a performance space and lecture hall. "There's a conflict between these two uses, and as a result, it's not terribly brilliant for either."

The college has created a new drama studio in an existing building. The John Stripe Theatre will be refurbished and extended to provide two lecture halls. Future students could also benefit from a new refectory and bar.

The college wants to bulldoze its dining hall and convert the students' union building into a study area. The new student centre would be two storeys high and built on the dining hall site. The plans include a caf-style dining area on the top floor, and a bar and disco in the basement.

"It's going to be buried deep in the bowels of the building, so it doesn't disturb our neighbours," said Mr Higgins, who added that the college did not yet have the money for the student centre.

He said they had applied for outline planning permission to see if the centre would be acceptable. "It might not be built for four or five years," he added.

The college will need to apply again for full planning permission before the student centre is built.

Winchester City Council's planning committee met on Wednesday and members backed the college's makeover. Labour group leader, Patrick Davies, said the John Stripe Theatre was not very attractive in its current form.

"This scheme seems to me to be an enormous improvement on what's there at the moment."

Independent member, Georgina Busher, who chairs the committee, added: "I think this is going to be a real asset and improvement to the city."

Planners received no letters of objection on the two proposals, and members gave them unanimous support.

l King Alfred's College, which has 5,500 full and part-time students, plans to relaunch itself as University College Winchester in mid-June.