Hello campus!

The college had hoped to finance its move on to the North Star campus by selling its site at Regent Circus for housing.

But it was forced to rethink its plans when the developer George Wimpey pulled out of the sale in November.

Now the college has decided to press on anyway and will be financing the building of the new North Campus using a loan, a grant from the Learning and Skills Council and proceeds from the sale of two other sites at Ferndale Road and Euclid Street.

The director of estates, Nigel Wichall, said: "We have got a specific window of opportunity.

"If we start now the project will be completed by July 2006 which means that we can move in a controlled fashion during the summer holidays while the college is shut anyway.

"If we delay things now it will mean we are moving during the curriculum year."

He said he is confident that a buyer will be found for the Regent Circus site.

"We are talking to a number of developers and looking at a mixed development of the site, the majority of which is housing.

"We are talking to one particular developer and if we don't agree terms very shortly we will start to re-launch the marketing process again.

"We were very disappointed that we could not agree terms with Wimpey."

Once the Regent Circus building has been bought it is likely to be demolished as there are structural problems caused by its concrete framework.

The new building at North Star will consist of 10,000 square metres of purpose-built space.

This will include two large workshops for construction trades with carpentry and joinery centre and a plumbing and brickwork specialist facility.

There will also be a four-storey main block with a new refectory, learning resource centre, computing, art and design studios and performing arts facility.

Mr Wichall said: "It is going to be a modern building which will be made up of a central main block which has two wings a three-storey and a four-storey wing."

Diana Milne