A new £278m concert hall should be built on the site of the Museum of London, EC2, a government-commissioned feasibility study has found.
The Centre for Music would be home to the London Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Sir Simon Rattle.
The government has pledged £5.5m in funding for a full business case for the project and the City of London Corporation said it would be willing to release land for the site.
Chancellor George Osborne and London mayor Boris Johnson commissioned the report in February to look into whether a world-class concert hall needed to be built, how much it would cost and where it might be located.
The Museum of London site will become available when the museum fulfils its ambition to expand to a new location in West Smithfield, EC1.
Land and streets around the site would be redeveloped to improve accessibility to the Centre, with improved links to the Barbican Centre, Guildhall School, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tate Modern and two new Crossrail stations in the area.
The report also suggested the redevelopment of the Barbican Hall as a home for innovative contemporary music and performance.
LSO St Luke’s would also be adapted to enhance its community focused and digital recording facilities, to create “an internationally outstanding collection of linked venues at the heart of a world-leading cultural city”.
Mark Boleat, chairman of the City of London’s policy and resources committee, said: “The City of London Corporation has a long history as a leading investor in the arts including the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra and Museum of London in the Square Mile.
“Together we are working to transform the area from Farringdon to Moorgate and the evolving cultural hub to create an unparalleled destination that is an internationally renowned, distinctive, vibrant and welcoming centre for the arts, heritage, learning and entertainment.”
