THE first building of the new town on the site of the old Ravenscraig steelworks is gradually taking shape.

Motherwell College's £70million new campus is due to be completed next spring, with the first intake of students expected in the autumn.

Planners say they want to make the new college as modern as possible to reflect the fact it is breathing new life into a once vibrant industrial site.

But in a nod to the area's heritage, the college's new halls of residence will be a cylindrical building resembling the distinctive Ravenscraig cooling towers.

College board chairman Ian Watson said there was huge excitement at the progress already been made on the site, just off the Motherwell to Carfin road.

He added: "The new college will have state-of-the-art facilities and accommodation to meet the needs of education in the 21st century.

"The board has been happy to support the massive commitment to build this new campus at Ravenscraig and to see the vision take shape."

College principal Hugh Logan said: "It's exciting to see the new campus progressing so quickly.

"The main building has a lot of glass, which will make it bright, attractive and practical.

"While the building work progresses, the staff at the college are also preparing for the move next year and students are looking forward to the new learning environment."

Mr Logan said there would be an emphasis on foreign students and the residential block would also host competitors at the 2011 International Children's Games, to be held in Lanarkshire.

The new campus will replace the 40-year-old college building at Dalziel Drive.

There are around 19,000 students on more than 300 courses, including media and design, beauty therapy, engineering, hospitality and performing arts.

The Ravenscraig campus will feature a five-storey teaching block, two-storey workshop, seven-storey residential block and a nursery facility.

The halls of residence will contain 50 rooms with disabled access.

College bosses also want to encourage the public to use the facilities and will provide a public learning centre, restaurant, conference centre and performing arts venue.

Regeneration of the entire Ravenscraig site, which closed in 1992, will take around 20 years and cost an estimated £1.2billion.

It will see a new community of 10,000 residents on the site between Motherwell and Wishaw with 12,000 new jobs and a new train station on the Glasgow to Lanark line.