Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Legal action is being mounted by opponents of a plan to build a $24 million university music school at the Christchurch Arts Centre in the central city.

The Save Our Arts Centre group has filed a High Court challenge on whether the centre's trust board has acted outside its powers.

It is also challenging the Christchurch City Council decision to loan the university the money to build the school, saying it was pre-decided. The plan is for the music school to be built on an existing carpark.

The group's chairman, Richard Sinke, says the proposal is unacceptable.

"This would become virtually a private area of land owned by the university," he says, adding that most students would be absent for four months of the year, from November through to the end of February.

"So it really is giving up public land for private use."

Mr Sinke says the group is also seeking an interim injunction to stop a resource consent hearing going ahead in February.