THE next phase of a £125m redevelopment at a college is due to begin.

Both campuses of North West Kent College, in Dering Way in Gravesend and Oakfield Lane in Dartford, will be transformed over the next five years.

Most of the college’s existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with new ones.

However some buildings, such as the technology centre at the Dartford campus, will be refurbished.

Work at the Dartford campus will start in the next few months.

Building work at the Gravesend campus began in autumn last year.

Classes are being held in temporary buildings.

The college’s current premises were built in the 1950s and 1960s.

College press and publicity officer Quentin Williamson, says they need to be “updated for the 21st Century”.

He said: “The college has expanded greatly over the years so the existing buildings feel a bit cramped now.

“The layout is a bit higgledy-piggledy, as students have to cross roads between buildings to go from one lesson to another.

“A great advantage of the rebuilding will be that we shall no longer have narrow roads all over the site.

“People will be able to go from one area to another without encountering traffic.”

Funding for the redevelopment came from the Government’s Learning and Skills Council.

Redevelopment at the Gravesend campus will cost £45m and see new facilities built for subjects including education, IT and travel and tourism, with work expected to be finished by 2010.

Redevelopment at the Dartford campus will cost £80m and see new facilities built for subjects including art and design, media studies and music.

Work is expected to be finished by 2013.

The college has around 3,700 full-time students and 6,000 part-time students.