Education chiefs have announced a start date for construction of the new multi- million-pound college in Keighley.

Park Lane College Keighley should be enrolling students for the beginning of the new academic year in September 2010.

It follows the merger of Keighley College with Park Lane College, Leeds, last year.

Consent for the £35 million project, in Dalton Lane, was granted by City Hall in December last year.

At the time, the Secretary of State decided not to call in the planning application and the college received conditional consent.

A college spokesman said: "There remains a lot of work still to do but the project is on target for work to begin on site in May.

"Construction work is then due to be complete in December 2009 followed by post-contract works with a view to opening in spring 2010 for enrolments and events.

"The college will then migrate to the new building over the summer of 2010 and the new college will open for students fully in September 2010."

It was hoped to employ local contractors and labour on the project, one of the biggest in the town centre in decades.

The college, at present based in Cavendish Street, has launched a "Believe In " publicity campaign to mark the start of a new era and give people a chance to show support for students and teachers.

It will be publicised through bus shelter adverts, posters, badges, T-shirts and story booklets.

The launch came less than a fortnight after Ofsted inspectors branded most areas of the college as inadequate.

They reported the capacity of the college to improve only as "satisfactory."

The inspection fell five months into the new regime and the college principal, Maxine Room, said the improvements would take some time to implement fully.