Balfour Beatty's healthcare arm is named preferred bidder for the Northern Batched Hospitals project.

Balfour Beatty’s specialist healthcare arm Consort Healthcare has been appointed preferred bidder for a £190m project in Greater Manchester.

The Northern Batched Hospitals project includes two hospital development schemes, one in Salford and the other in Tameside.

In Salford, Consort will build and redevelop buildings for Hope Hospital under a 34-year PFI concession contract worth £130m. Work will include an extension to the emergency department and a critical care unit.

In Tameside, Consort will design and build a new acute and mental health facility at Tameside General Hospital under a concession contract worth £60m. This work includes a new mental health unit for the elderly and a day surgery.

Balfour Beatty chief executive Ian Tyler said: “These will be our seventh and eight major PFI hospital schemes. We have proven skills and a first-class track record in this specialist area.”

Financial close for the schemes is expected in early 2007.