Mace set to scoop £130m British Museum revamp

Sources say a frontrunner has emerged for a high-profile deal in central London.

It is understood that Mace has trumped two rivals for a £130m makeover of the British Museum in Russell Square.

Also pitching for the reconstruction of the museum's north-west quarter were Bovis Lend Lease and Heery International, a division of Balfour Beatty Management.

At this stage of the process, it is unclear when work on site will kick off.

An insider said: "It is expected that the British Museum Trustees will send in a planning application to Camden council towards the end of the year. I don't expect that construction work will begin until the middle of next year."

The plan is for the new-build project to be phased in and it is expected that final completion will take place by the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013.

The designs for the project have yet to be finalised by architect Rogers Stirk Harbour - the practice behind such notable schemes as London's Millennium Dome and the Lloyds Building.

But the project at the Grade I-listed building is likely to include a new special exhibition centre, conservation and science laboratories, plus a new logistics hub.

The scheme also call for some demolition work and for storage facilities to be built.