A seven-storey HIV research centre is to be built on the site of the Royal Free Hospital car park in Hampstead, London.

Vinci Construction will be responsible for the construction of the £42m Pears Building which will house University College London Institute of Immunity and Transplantation with approval being granted by Camden Council subject to the completion of a S106 legal agreement and a range of planning conditions.

The centre’s research activity will be largely based on tackling the HIV virus, whilst also focussing on other immune-related conditions including leukaemia and type 1 diabetes.

The Pears Building has been designed by Hopkins to allow more patients to have better access to some of the most cutting-edge medical treatments and clinical trials in the world.

The construction project will create the research facility, patient accommodation, office space and a car park and is expected to start in the next few months and be finished in 2017.

David Sloman, chief executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The new building will bring huge benefits to patients, including providing on site accommodation for out-patients who live far from the hospital.”

Chris Burghes, chief executive of the Royal Free Charity, added: “We have employed high calibre architects to design this building so that it reflects the architecture of the surrounding area and we aim to ensure this will be a building that everyone in Hampstead can be proud of.”