Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) has appointed Uxbridge-based contractor Galliford Try to deliver the £24m redevelopment of Edgbaston stadium in Birmingham.

The company, which has worked on schemes at the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, and Leicester Tigers' Welford Road stadium, will carry out the design and construction of the new-look Edgbaston Road end at the venue. Work is expected to get underway in March 2010, which will see the section's seating capacity increase from nearly 5,000 to 8,250 and the development of new player and media facilities. The venue will remain open throughout the building work.

The scheme, which is scheduled for completion in July 2011, is part of WCCC's efforts to retain Edgbaston's status as an international cricket venue amid an increase in the number of English venues attaining Test match-status. Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council (BCC) has approved the latest £1.2m instalment of a £19m loan towards the cost of the Edgbaston redevelopment scheme, despite a legal bid by the scheme's opponents to have planning permission overturned.

A report to BCC's cabinet meeting on 18 January said: "Should the scheme not proceed, then the repayment of the £1.2m - plus the £1m advanced in June 2009 - will be made by instalments to the council."