The three-storey building will include a specialist health spa, catering teaching facilities as well as training and commercial salons for hair and beauty.

Works also include enclosing an external courtyard with a part-glazed roof and providing facilities to create additional learning and social space.

The building will be heated by a combination of natural gas, high efficiency condensing boilers and air source heat pumps. Ventilation will be naturally provided to the majority of the building.

The college’s principal and chief executive, Asha Khemka OBE, said: “By opening up the restaurant, health spa and hair and beauty salons to the public, students will be able to put their skills to the test and gain vital work experience, while the community benefits from brand-new facilities right on their doorstep.”

This scheme represents the college’s biggest-ever single investment in educational facilities and, once complete, we’ll offer some of the leading learning facilities in the country.”

The project commences this month and is due to be completed in December 2012.