The college had hoped to secure finance from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to push ahead with ambtious plans to relocate from its current Derby Road base to neighbouring land south of Cauldwell Road.

But the LSC announced on Friday, and exclusively revealed by www.chad.co.uk, that West Notts had missed out on the funding cash pot –– and that just 13 colleges nationwide would get cash to carry out rebuilding schemes.

Bosses say they are 'bitterly disappointed' at the news, but remain upbeat they can still achieve their vision of providing the best educational facilities to help regenerate local communities.

Deputy principal Tim Grant said: "We are going to achieve our aims, probably not as quickly as we would have done and probably not quite in exactly the same way. But we're still very ambitious.

"We've still got lots of bright ideas and we're still going to work very hard for youngsters and adults in Mansfield and Ashfield to give them opportunities to learn new skills and be really as economically prosperous as we can possibly be."

Review

The college had received planning permission from both Mansfield and Ashfield district councils –– and funding approval in principal from the LSC.

Building work should have started in March on the state-of-the-art project, but was halted –– along with 79 similar schemes across the country –– when the Government ordered a review into the whole programme.

Said West Notts principal Asha Khemka: "We met all the selection criteria and made as strong a case as possible, but obviously there were more college projects than there was funding available.

"We are extremely grateful for the overwhelming support we received from the Mansfield and Ashfield community, in particular local business people and politicians, who lobbied on our behalf.

"We are now exploring all available options to realise the college's vision of helping to regenerate local communities, widening participation amongst young people and adults in education and bringing world class educational facilities to Mansfield and Ashfield.

"The college has already demonstrated it can bring world class facilities to the area, as shown by the creation of our state-of-the-art construction and logistics skills academy in Kirkby, which was visited by Prince Charles earlier this year –– a success story achieved without LSC financial support."

Yesterday, an LSC spokesman said the organisation didn't comment on individual cases.