A £30 million university-style campus plan to kick-start the regeneration of Dudley town centre has been unveiled today.

Bosses at Dudley College hope their revised plans to create a ‘learning quarter’ could be completed by 2013.

A Sixth Form Centre and Higher Education Centre will be built on the former Girls’ High School in Priory Road. A Vocational Centre will replace the old Fire Station in Tower Street.

The college’s existing Broadway campus will also be extended under an additional scheme to replace buildings at the rear with a Construction and Engineering Technologies Centre. Work on the extension is planned to start in 2010.

That project is expected to cost £25 million, taking the total cost of the college’s expansion to £55 million.

The new plans come after the college was forced to downscale previous £100 million proposals, involving the complete replacement of the college with a rebuild in Dudley town centre. The original scheme was revised following a cash crisis at the Learning and Skills Council.

The Sixth Form Centre will offer A Levels to 500 students while the Higher Education Centre will cater for more than 600 people studying courses including engineering and the arts as well as teacher training.

The Vocational Centre is scheduled for completion the next year and will provide training in sport, tourism, public services, beauty and the arts.

Around 250 staff and 1,500 students will be relocated from the college’s Castle View and Mons Hill campuses as a result of the initial scheme. It will be funded from college reserves, the sale of assets and borrowing which has already been agreed in principle. Principal Lowell Williams said he was “really excited” about the scheme. He hopes the plans would be approved by July next year.