Colchester is not alone their attempts to create a ‘Cultural Quarter’.

The town of Dorchester, also once a Roman settlement, has a population about a fifth of the size of Colchester’s. In recent years it has developed a Cultural Quarter on the site of the old Eldridge Pope Brewery.

Similar to Colchester, the site is located close to both a railway station and the town centre.

Known as ‘Brewery Square’, the development is a mix of re-purposed listed buildings and striking new ones.

The developers, Landworth Properties, employed top architects CZWG to design a vibrant urban space complimented by a range of distinctive buildings of architectural quality.

There are no student houses here; instead there are a range of new-build houses and flats as well as apartments designed by Conran & Partners, who were commissioned to work on the restoration of the listed buildings

At the heart of the development is a civic square which is has become a popular meeting place, especially for families as in the summer multi-jet fountains erupt from the paving and in the winter the area is transformed into an ice rink.

To one side of the square is a cinema with a large public cinema screen where broadcasts, including Wimbledon tennis, are shown.

The cinema has a bar that overlooks the space. Shops, restaurants, a hotel and an art gallery are found on the other sides.

The architecture around the Brewery Square is in places bold but always in keeping with the existing brewery buildings.

It has a quality that adds to the atmosphere, the place feels alive with activity.

The development is not complete with the Arts centre yet to be built, but already the Square has become a popular destination for the people of Dorchester.

The foundations for a similar area are already present in Colchester.

The area that would encompass the proposed cultural quarter here already boasts the currently unfulfilled potential of the Firstsite arts centre as well as the Curzon cinema and GreyFriars Hotel.

It is within striking distance of Colchester Castle, Hollytrees Museum and the Minories gallery.

Using Dorchester as a template for a potential community-driven meeting area would allow such potential to be realised; creating an atmosphere fuelled by new, cultural installations built on Colchester’s own historic foundations.

Such a development could be something to be proud of – an exciting venture that would allow Colchester to begin to regain its floundering soul – something that is highly unlikely to be achieved by an influx of alien unattractive buildings housing student apartments.

Colin Leisk, Colchester