A £74m new home for Kirklees College will not be ready in time.

Delays in the massive building project means that thousands of Kirklees College students and staff will remain at their New North Road centre in September.

It is now expected they will move to the new Waterfront complex off Chapel Hill next January – four months later than planned.

A series of niggles in the construction problems mean the centre is not finished, even though a month ago it was on schedule.

That could cost the builders a lot of money in penalty clauses.

Next Monday, July 2, should have seen the college handed over ready to be fitted out.

But now developers Strategic Sites and main contractors Allenbuild are to meet tomorrow to come up with a new completion date – expected to be several weeks away.

They then hope the college can move completely to the site for the start of the January term.

College bosses have taken the decision to continue working in the New North Road centre to ensure a successful transition into the new building at the Waterfront Quarter.

Vice principal for Kirklees College, Melanie Brooke said: “It’s crucial that our students remain our number one priority in all our decision making.

“Working closely with our partners, we have agreed that the planned move will now be phased in later than scheduled to allow time for all the planned work to be completed.

“Although this will mean a short term delay, we are confident that the building will be something that our community can be proud of for years to come and we remain excited about the move.