KENDAL college has secured more than £1m of funding for a new arts campus at Wildman Street, Kendal.

The North West Regional Development Agency’s grant of £1,029,000 comes as a major boost after the college lost out on £8m of funding from the learning and skills council in the summer It will enable the college to join the Allen Building and Kendal Museum together and build a new performing arts space with recording studios, light and sound facilities, a reception room and toilets.

Plans also include converting the Castle Dairy – a 14th century Grade I listed building – into a cafe and art gallery.

Building work on the site is to start in January and should be completed by September 2010.

College principal Graham Wilkinson said: “I’m really excited that it’s going ahead. This project will transform this priority area of the college and will provide world class facilities.

“The new campus will also allow us to provide industry standard facilities and new courses which will help prepare students for employment in Cumbria’s 22 major arts venues.”

Original plans for phase two of the college’s redevelopment were to include a gymnasium, a watersports and sailing centre at Killington Lake and a golf analysis centre.

But plans were shelved after the learning and skills council withdrew funding.

Mr Wilkinson said: “It is disapointing that we’ve only been able to go ahead with 25 per cent of our plans and had to make compromises, but I’m not giving up on the sports side of the college. I’m going to work on new partnerships to get funding for facilities for our sports students and hope we’ll secure another £3m from government towards the end of 2010.”

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the regional development agency said: “I hope this good news highlights that the area is open for business and development plans continue across all parts of the community.”

This new development follows the college’s £12.9m first phase of development, on its main site, which was completed in November 2008 and now provides world-class facilities in vocational training and education.