Major projects update

Four firms are in the running for the first £150m portion of a £1Bn project to regenerate land surrounding Wembley Stadium. Costain, balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke and Skanska will do battle to win developer Quintain's contract to construct a 402-room Hilton hotel and a 656-unit student accommodation block and more.

A Laing O'Rourke/Costain joint venture has emerged as favourite to win the £250m contract to revamp Blackfriars station in London, part of the £5Bn Thameslink upgrade. Construction News (CN) reported that the JV has been called in for a meeting with client Network Rail and a winner will be announced next month.

Galliford Try is being tipped to win the first part of a £60m contract to redevelop Leicester Tiger's rugby union ground, writes CN. Work on the North Stand is due to start in early Summer.

Planning permission for the revamped Great Ormond Street hospital, designed by Llewelyn Davies Yeang, has been given the go-ahead. The £300m centre will include a clinical building and refurbished cardiac wing, it aims to reduce carbon emissions by 20% and construction's set to begin in October, reports Building magazine.