HERITAGE-lovers have given a Huddersfield college its second award for a `courageous' renovation programme.

Huddersfield Technical College chiefs were praised in the Civic Trust Awards for modernising a building dating back to 1840.

The work created an ultra-modern art and design school.

The Trust highlights architectural projects of national importance.

Out of 400 national nominations, 141 were chosen to receive the award.

The building was given a blue plaque by Huddersfield Civic Society in June, 2002.

The plaque was the first to be put up by the civic society to highlight significant new buildings in the town.

The listed buildings at the college's Highfields site were run down before the £4.8m scheme.

The project took a year to complete.

The college teamed up with listed buildings experts from Kirklees Council to make sure work was in keeping with the site's historical character.

The buildings were originally designed by J Pritchett and built as a school in 1840.

Between 1909 and 1958 it was Huddersfield College, a boys' grammar school. In 1975 it became an annex of the Technical College.

Mr Stan Driver, Kirklees Council's senior planning officer, presented the certificate to Mr Chris Sadler, the college's new principal.

Mr Driver praised the vision and bravery of college managers who took the decision to retain the traditional architectural character of the building while converting it into one suited to 21st century innovations in the arts, theatre and the media.

Huddersfield Civic Society spokesman Mr George Keith said of the project: "It took a bit of bottle and they pulled it off."