Work on a new £9.7m wing at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, given the green light by Birmingham City Council last month, is to commence in December.

Scheduled for completion in September 2012, 'Birmingham - A City in the Making' will see four new galleries focusing on the development of the city from its origins in the 16th century through to the end of World War II. A fifth gallery will concentrate on examining the character and people of the city, containing 'living memories' from recent times.

Rita McLean, head of the council's museums and heritage services, said: "This is the first phase of an ambitious long-term masterplan for the Museum and Art Gallery which will transform what is already an important venue and enable it to fulfil its full potential as a world-class cultural asset." Funding for the project, created by West Yorkshire-based Redman Design, benefited from a £4.8m Heritage Lottery Fund award in November last year.

Image: Birmingham City Council/Redman Design