Natural History Museum Unlocked

Infrastructure and Construction

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: £213.2m
Published schedule: 15/05/2019 – Low: 30/09/2031, Mid: 30/09/2031, High: 30/09/2031
NISTA delivery confidence: Not disclosed
Senior responsible owner: Tim Littlewood

What the project is for

NHM Unlocked is an ambitious programme to secure the future of our irreplaceable collection, accelerate scientific research and innovation, and enhance our public offer. Underpinned by a £201 million government investment, we are looking to: build a sustainable new centre at Thames Valley Science Park, equipped with purpose-built collections storage, laboratories and 160 Museum scientists; relocate millions of natural history specimens, many of which will be housed in the new centre; and capture digital specimen data for use by partners around the world. The programme will not only enhance the UK’s leading role in tackling urgent global challenges, but also unlock the redevelopment of our historic South Kensington site – transforming our public offer and mission to create advocates for the planet.

Departmental delivery commentary

The Delivery Confidence Assessment (DCA) at 2025/26 Q4 is Amber, the same rating as provided at 2024/25 Q4. The contract for construction at Thames Valley Science Park was awarded at the start of the 2025/26 Financial Year and full contract works commenced on site shortly after. Construction has since progressed well, though it is felt that an Amber rating is appropriate for the programme due to the following factors: (i) A significant amount of procurement remains to be completed (ii) There are a number of complex dependencies which have the potential to impact programme delivery (iii) Even a small change to the construction schedule can have a significant impact on the phasing of programme spend

Schedule

The programme's end date remains September 2031, which is the same date reported at 2024/25 Q4. Construction has progressed slightly ahead of schedule during 2025/26 and is expected to conclude in Summer 2027. Plans for the storage fit out and handover of the building are being finalised, alongside the schedule for moving collections to the new site.

Cost

The programme's Whole Life Cost (WLC) remains £221m, the same figure reported at 2024/25 Q4. Please note figures referenced in the narratives were entered as nominal and the system automatically converts them to Real Terms.

Benefits

There is no change to the benefits reported at 2024/25 Q4. These remain the same as the figures included in the programme's approved Full Business Case.