Work will begin this month on a £4.5m project in the UK to turn London’s Museum of the Moving Image into a new home for the British Film Institute (BFI)-run National Film Theatre.

The project will build upon the legacy and history of the National Film Theatre (NFT) and provide greater access to material from the BFI’s National Film and Television Archive, the existing cinema spaces – NFT1, 2 and 3 – will remain intact while a number of additional facilities will be added to the site.

These will include purpose-built viewing stations for individuals and small groups; an informal walk-in studio cinema; an exhibition and gallery space showing contemporary artists’ work in film and a casual research and study area to provide access to learning and interpretation materials.

The main entrance will be relocated to the east side of the building, opposite the National Theatre, and there will be a new bar and café in the foyer space.

The work was originally due to be completed by this summer but was reportedly delayed because of funding problems. The new development is scheduled to open in early autumn this year – in time for the 50th anniversary of the BFI’s London Film Festival – and is part of a longer term plan to construct a purpose-built, National Film Centre in 2012. Details: www.bfi.org.uk