A MAJOR development site at Chapel Hill could provide a new home for Huddersfield Technical College.

The college is looking for a new site to replace its campus at New North Road.

Now it is "seriously considering" transferring to the six-acre Waterfront Quarter development.

The news comes as backers of the £150m Waterfont scheme - led by David Armitage, chairman of the Sellers group of firms and RCD - announced the appointment of nationally-renowned developer Strategic Sites to lead the project.

The site - a triangle of land bounded by Manchester Road, Chapel Hill and the river Colne - is owned by Sellers Engineers and Kirklees Council.

Strategic Sites, based at Wetherby is working with Sellers' development arm, RCD, to create a mixed development of flats, offices, industrial and leisure facilities.

The first phase will include up to 120,000sq ft of offices and 100 flats.

The Technical College has appointed architects to examine the Waterfront Quarter as a possible location for a purpose-built campus.

A final decision is expected in the autumn.

The site has outline planning permission for 300,000sq ft of office accommodation, 560 flats and a hotel.

Detailed applications will be submitted over the course of this year, with work expected to start in early 2008.

Sellers plans to move to another location in Huddersfield by early 2008.

Mr Armitage said: "We are excited a developer of the calibre of Strategic Sites has come on board and excited at the possibility of the Technical College occupying part of the site.

"We are determined the Waterfront Quarter will be a real asset to the whole town and our partners share that vision."

Paul Barber, managing director of Strategic Sites, said he was confident the mix of commercial, residential and leisure uses would offer an exciting alternative to cities such as Leeds.

He said: "If you want a truly 21st century office building in Huddersfield there are none.

"We will provide buildings of the quality now going up in Leeds city centre."

Mike Dove, director of property consultants Dove Haigh Phillips, called the appointment of Strategic Sites a "quantum leap".

He added: "We welcome the commitment of Strategic Sites, which is a national player."

Melanie Brook, the Technical College's vice-principal, said the existing campus "will not sustain the delivery of high quality education in the 21st century".

Redevelopment of the New North Road site is not feasible, due to possible subsidence.

She said: "Moving to a new, purpose-built campus will enable us to provide the community with the first- class facilities they deserve.

"The college is now seriously considering this exciting Waterfront Quarter development as the location of our new campus."

Among its other projects Strategic Sites is developing the 200-acre former Samsung Europe manufacturing site on Teesside and 500 acres of neighbouring land to create a business park.

It has also bought an eight-acre site alongside the Magna complex at Rotherham.