The National Construction College will have to wait until next year to find out if its plans to refurbish itself will go ahead.

The college intends to pay for the work by selling part of its west Norfolk campus for 拢13m.

To maximise the value of the land, it has applied for planning permission for 250 homes, but last year King鈥檚 Lynn and West Norfolk Council refused to grant it.

CITB鈥揅onstructionSkills, the college鈥檚 parent organisation, challenged the decision at a public inquiry last week.

It argued that it was not cost-effective to improve the college鈥檚 facilities without an additional funding source, and if it could not be obtained it may have to close.

The inquiry started in May, but was adjourned until last week.

Although the inquiry is now complete, it is believed that it will not reach a decision until early next year.

David Boyden, the director of the National Construction College, said: 鈥淢oving is not the answer; modernising is. We hope and expect the good sense of our proposals close to a major centre of economic activity in west Norfolk will be recognised.鈥�