Work is underway on a new campus and student accommodation block at South Tyneside College.

Led by principal contractor, Castle, and supported by Newcastle engineering firm, RWO, the scheme is part of a wider £95m improvement programme at the college.

As part of the work the current site will be transformed, with the creation of a 15,000sq m main building, student accommodation block, and the refurbishment of a listed building.

The project is a partnership between Tyne Coast College and South Tyneside Council and will enable South Tyneside College and South Shields Marine School (part of Tyne Coast College) to relocate from Westoe to the heart of the town centre.

Once the work is complete the main building will be accessed from King Street, with a double-height glass atrium behind the reception entrance.

A second entrance will be provided along Barrington Street, linking the building to the main campus, and a refurbished grade two-listed building, also in Barrington Street, will house part of South Shields Marine School.

The design, by GSS Architecture, will incorporate active frontages with a teaching hair salon and café, helping to animate the high street.

And the main campus will feature marine simulators, with low-carbon technology incorporated into the build wherever possible.

There will also be a landscaping scheme, including tree planting, as well as grassed areas and a public square.