FORMER Southamp-ton University campus New College has been sold to developer Linden Homes for an estimated £20m - double initial forecasts.

Although no value for the deal has been officially released, the deal is claimed to have achieved record land values for Southampton.

About 20 developers are thought to have made a bid to secure the site, which was described as the best of its kind in the region.

Formerly the site of the La Sainte Union college, the 8.3-acre site, in The Avenue, is to be converted into more than 200 homes.

Linden hopes to apply for planning permission as early as February and to start marketing the apartments and four-bedroom town houses by the end of the year.

As well as the new housing, there will be offices built facing the road and a care home erected on the site which used to be home to 4,000 students and 150 staff.

Pat Feighery, managing director of Linden Homes Southern, said: "This is a tremendous opportunity for us because of the excellent location just to the north of the city. It also confirms Linden as the most active developer in Southampton, with four schemes currently in progress."

Stuart Cook, of property agents Atisreal, acted for the university over a four-year period, which at one stage saw police consider the site for a new central station.

He said: "It is the best residential development site currently available in south Hampshire.

"I think we had a total of 20 bids initially. Then we went through a shortlisting process to bring it down to a preferred bidder."

The university moved New College courses to its Highfield campus after deciding to sell up in order to finance its investment plans.

John Lauwerys, secretary and registrar to the Universi-ty of Southampton, said: "The successful disposal of the site will make an important contribution to the university's capital development programme."