Hartlepool art college reveals expansion plans
Work has begun on a £2.2m expansion of a Teesside art and design college.
Hartlepool-based Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) has taken over the town's former library and archive building in Church Square.
The move will see the specialised arts college centralise its facilities in the hope of attracting more students.
The Grade II listed buildings will be refurbished to create studio space and student social areas. It is hoped the work will be completed by 2012.
The college's existing premises in Church Square and Green Lane, Middlesbrough, will also benefit from the development plans which will see 125 students and 16 staff relocate to Hartlepool.
CCAD principal Martin Raby said: "Our expansion project has been part of a longstanding strategy to separate out our further and higher education.
"This would not have been possible without the additional space that will be created by the acquisition of the best legacy buildings available in Hartlepool."
The two year refurbishment and improvement programme will be carried out by Niven Architects, of Darlington.