Willmott Dixon has been selected to deliver a £34 million museum project in Plymouth.

The company will redevelop the City Museum and Art Gallery, Central Library and St Luke's Church buildings into a new Plymouth History Centre by spring 2020.

The facility is to provide a home for the city's historic collections, featuring five permanent galleries, five exhibition spaces for local and national touring exhibitions and six spaces for specific artistic projects.

Willmott Dixon will work alongside the city council through a pre-contract agreement to develop the building and construction elements of the project and prepare the site ready for a second-stage contract award later this autumn.

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Council Leader Ian Bowyer said: "Willmott Dixon was awarded the contract after a highly competitive tender process and we're really pleased to have them on board. As well as in-depth knowledge of the sector they demonstrated how they would inspire Plymothians to build for Plymouth and invest in the communities that support culture. This makes their appointment a great fit for the History Centre."

John Boughton, Director of Operations at Willmott Dixon, added: "The new History Centre will be a major transformation for the City of Plymouth, supporting and preserving Plymouth's history and culture for future generations as well as providing an iconic attraction for visitors.

"We will also ensure our work benefits the local economy as much as possible by using local companies for work packages."

(LM/MH)