Keighley College's move to a new £25 million campus is set to go ahead after a deal to buy the land was agreed.

The college plans to move to a new purpose-built facility on Dalton Lane next to the town's train station.

However the scheme has been delayed because Bradford Council has been locked in talks for more than a year with Richard Craven's electrical superstore over the sale of the land.

Now the Telegraph & Argus can reveal the firm has agreed to a sale and the Council expects to finalise the deal within weeks.

The authority's regeneration development manager Simon Woodhurst said he expected contracts to be exchanged within two or three weeks.

The new campus is part of a project to regenerate Keighley town centre in the Airedale masterplan.

A planning application was due to be submitted to Bradford Council.

But architects are now drawing up new scaled down designs for a smaller facility because the college does not expect an expansion in student numbers.

The detailed application is expected to be submitted to planners by May.

Keighley College's interim principal Christine Moore said she was "cautiously optimistic" that the new campus would be built.

She said: "It will make a huge difference both for the people using the facility and for the town itself.

"It will be a linchpin for the social and economic regeneration of Keighley. It is in a prominent location and will form part of an entrance to the town for people arriving by car or train.

"I hesitate to say our existing buildings are not fit for purpose because we are using them but they are dilapidated."

Miss Moore is working as an interim principal for 12 months after the departure of her predecessor David Gates.

The college is currently based on two town centre sites in Chesham Street focusing on vocational areas such as construction, engineering and the motor trade and Cavendish Street which focuses on areas such as hairdressing, social care and traditional academic subjects.

The college's director of estates and associated services Paul Keppie said the new campus was scheduled to open in 2008 and builders were expected to be on the site by the start of 2007.

The existing Richard Craven superstore will be demolished to make way for the development.