The 50-hectare complex on the site of the former Gartcosh Steelworks in Lanarkshire was to be modelled on the J Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, headquarters of the FBI.

The estimated cost of the project has already risen from £40 million to £63m.

It is intended that it will bring the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) together with the Scottish branch of the UK-wide Serious and Organised Crime Agency,

HM Revenue and Customs and a forensics service on one state-of-the-art campus.

The Crown Office and immigration officials would also be based on the campus, along with the Scottish Witness ­Liaison Unit and the Scottish Money Laundering Unit.

Last year, it was also suggested that a new national fraud office for Scotland could be situated there.

However, The Herald understands there are now concerns that the original plans have been watered down.

When the super-campus was announced in 2004, officials said it could open as early as 2006, but it has been dogged by delays and concern is growing that its original requirements are being altered on cost grounds.

It was expected to house 700 officers, and Cathy Jamieson, the former Justice Minister, said it would be a “world-class response” to the threat of serious and organised crime.

Only two months ago, North Lanarkshire Council announced that it had granted planning permission.

However, the campus will not be ready for most staff until 2013 at the earliest.

At a recent meeting, officials said some staff might be able to begin working at Gartcosh in late 2012, but the majority would not be able to move there until 2013. There are also concerns that there will not be enough space for all the agencies involved.

However, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are fully committed to the crime campus at Gartcosh.

“It will provide purpose-built accommodation for the SCDEA and its partner agencies tasked with tackling serious organised crime in Scotland, as well as a brand new forensic laboratory.

“Work to clear the site of underground obstructions and old foundations was completed in July 2009 and earlier this month we advertised the first of three construction contracts.

“This will cover the enabling works, including utilities supplies, lighting, CCTV, car parking, roads and security measures. Subject to contract, we remain on track for occupation to start in late 2012.”

The idea to build the super-campus was first mooted in 2004 by the former Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency and was championed by Graeme Pearson, its then head and one of Scotland’s most high-profile and outspoken police officers.

Mr Pearson, now an academic, visited the J Edgar Hoover Building to see how the new crime-fighting body might be organised.

He believes the establishment of the Gartcosh campus would be a crucial step in tackling organised crime in Scotland and has already expressed frustration that its building has been delayed.