AMBITIOUS plans for a new £50 million York College look set to win the go-ahead next week.

Officers are recommending City of York Council planning committee to approve the scheme for a 29,000 square metre building in Sim Balk Lane - subject to a number of conditions.

College principal Mike Galloway said today that the proposals had won wholehearted backing from educational and business communities across the county.

"Having worked closely with council officers to create the scheme we have put forward, we very much hope that the committee members will approve our plans," he said.

"The benefits of the new college for York and North Yorkshire are immense as we strive to meet the educational needs of learners in the 21st century."

The new building is to be constructed on one of the two sites currently occupied by the college, with the one near the entrance to Tesco in Tadcaster Road set to be sold for housing, subject to planning permission being obtained at a later date.

The college says this brownfield site would help solve the city's chronic housing shortage, and money raised from the sale of the land would partially fund the new building.

Mr Galloway said: "Working on a single campus will enable us better to provide integrated education for students of all ages and interests. We intend to improve community access to the facilities."

He said the new building would be of a high-quality design which would be an impressive gateway to York for people coming into the city from the A64.

Updated: 10:04 Saturday, June 19, 2004