University College London Hospital is pressing ahead with plans to build a ground-breaking new cancer treatment centre.

The £150m Proton Beam Therapy centre and in-patient hospital promises better treatments for tumours and gained planning last month from Camden Council.

The Government has committed £250m to fund two PBT centres – one at UCLH and another at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

UCLH has published an invitation to prequalify to bid for an extensive pre-construction works phase and the main hospital design and build job.

The 360,000 sq ft cancer treatment facility will be built at Grafton Way, next to University College of London hospital, near Tottenham Court Road.

It will offer a world-leading new radiotherapy to patients, which targets tumours more precisely, when completed in 2018.

Tenders will be invited from four shortlisted firms in June with work expected to start next Spring.

Kieran Mc Daid, Director of Estates, UCLH said: “This next stage of our Estate Strategy will see UCLH develop a Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Centre in Grafton Way supported by operating theatres and a specialist cancer inpatient facility above ground.

“We look forward to developing the scheme further with the continued support of our expert team including JLL as planning consultants and both Scott Tallon Walker in association with Edward Williams Architects who have helped us in securing this most significant milestone event.”