ORPINGTON College is set for a multi-million pound transformation to revolutionise teaching facilities and revamp a forgotten corner of the college.

Final plans are being made to inject £21 million into the educational institution to change the face of the town centre campus, situated next to the Walnuts Shopping Centre.

A new five storey building will house a library, study centre, student services and a state of the art interactive IT suite.

The design will provide 3,000 m2 of teaching accommodation around a new recreational courtyard.

It will be built from environmentally friendly materials and plans to incorporate a carbon neutral air conditional system.

Simon Norton, the principal, said: "These are exciting times for everyone involved. This is a massive opportunity for the people of Orpington and I’m sure the it will help local businesses."

The money will be made available to the college in the form of an £18 million grant from the Learning and Skills Council.

The remaining £3 million will be funded through a 25 year loan taken and paid back from the college’s annual £11 million turnover.

The existing buildings, at the back of the site, were originally erected for temporary use but have remained in place for more than 20 years.

Construction on the new build is expected to start next spring and will be completed in time for the 2009 term, although part of the building will be used as the project progresses.

Mr Norton added: "This project will enable us add to the teach first class teaching we offer in a first class building. This new environment will improve achievement and drive aspirations higher than ever before.

"We have laid the foundations to create something fantastic and now we will push on to create a lasting legacy for the people of the town and the students of the future."

See the June 15 edition of the Bromley Extra for a full special report