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Bouygues has pipped Mace to win the £250m scheme to build a replacement eye hospital for Moorfields in London called Oriel.

The news was slipped out yesterday with little fanfare as part of an announcement that the job has been given final NHS and government approval. It was given full planning approval by Camden council in August.

Work is due to start next year with the scheme due to open in 2027, having originally been slated for completion in the second half of 2026.

Moorfields is moving to an eye care, research and education centre in Camden’s Knowledge Quarter.

Derwent is buying Moorfields’ current City Road Island site, also the home of UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, near Old Street tube station for £239m. The firm is expected to turn the plot into a tech-focussed development and has asked AHMM to draw up proposals for the 400,000 sq ft estate.

Work on Oriel will involve knocking down seven buildings at the current site, including a kitchen, post room and former mortuary, and replacing it with a part seven and part 10-storey building covering nearly 46,500 sq m.

The new building will feature an eye care accident and emergency department, outpatients, operating theatres, research areas, education space, cafe and retail areas, admin space and plant space.

A winner had been expected last year but a decision was delayed as the scheme stitched together a funding plan.

The Oriel development is a joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the Moorfields Eye Charity.

The design team is made up of lead designer and project manager Aecom with lead architect Penoyre & Prasad and interior and landscape architect White Arkitekter. Others working on the scheme include QS Gardiner & Theobald, heritage consultant KM Heritage and planning consultant JLL.

Earlier this year, Bouygues finished a state-of-the-art cancer hospital for UCLH in the heart of London more than two years after it was supposed to open.