CASH from the sale of NEW College's Old Library Restaurant will be pumped into further modernising the college's Redditch and Bromsgrove sites, it was revealed on Monday.

The three-storey Church Road building was formerly the college's training kitchens and restaurant.

It has been put on the market for £400,000.

NEW College principal Neil Bromley said: "With our newly developed Redditch site offering more up-to-date facilities for the delivery of hospitality training, we feel the time is right to allow a new owner to find an appropriate use for this lovely period building.

"While we leave the building with many fond memories, we are equally excited about the opportunity to re-invest proceeds from the sale in further modernising our Redditch and Bromsgrove sites."

Business property consultant John Truslove, who has been instructed to sell the building, said: "Many older Redditch residents will remember this lovely building as the old college library and part of the art college facilities.

"It has beautiful stone mullioned windows and is suitable for a variety of uses such as residential development, offices and leisure."

He added: "Local businesses will be sad to see it change hands as many of us have enjoyed excellent lunches there cooked and served by the students at remarkable value over the years.

"We are anticipating a great deal of interest as properties of this size and scale in an ideal town centre location don't very often come on the market."