A £17.5m landmark is set to rise off the drawing board today.

A major milestone in the development of the Turner Contemporary gallery will happen at 10.30am.

The groundbreaking ceremony in Margate at the Rendezvous site near Fort Hill marks the start of the building work.

Around 30 children from Holy Trinity and St Johns Primary School, in high visibility jackets, will help carry large mirrored letters, which will then be displayed on a 15ft high specially commissioned piece of artwork to spell The Sun is God, a quotation from the artist JMW Turner who inspired the creation of the gallery and who cited Margate’s sunsets as "the most beautiful in Europe".

KCC leader Paul Carter and cabinet member for community services Mike Hill will then be joined by some of the pupils to dig the first turf before contractor R Durtnell and Sons from Sevenoaks begin on site.

The building is now expected to be completed in 2011 - two years later than orginally pledged - and the gallery will be operated by the Turner Contemporary Trust, chaired by John Kampfner.