Laing O’Rourke and Skanska battle for £60m London hospital unit

Two firms have gone head-to-head in the final run-in for a £60m cancer care centre in the heart of London.

CJ understands that only Laing O'Rourke and Skanska are now left in the hunt for the University College London Hospitals NHS trust project.

The five-floor centre will be built on the Huntley Street site of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, which is in the process of being knocked down by Essex-based Hill Demolition.

Provided Camden Council planners give the project the green light, it is expected that construction work on the new centre will start this summer with the scheme expected to take two years to complete.

The centre is due to open for patients in 2012 and its main focus will be on day care and outpatient treatment such as chemotherapy.