The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given a grant of £7.8m (US$11.8m, €10.4m) to ‘The Sill’ a new visitor centre for Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National park.

The most recent plans for ‘The Sill’ were announced in October 2014, outlining that the project needed at least £11.2m (US$17.9m, €14.3m) to get it off the ground. The HLF grant will help to secure the future of the project, while other donations and revenues are expected as the current funding shortfall stands at £2.2m (US$3.3m, €2.9m).

The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre, has been designed by Newcastle-based architects Jane Darbyshire and David Kendall (JDDK). Once complete, the scheme will offer an all-weather centre, with hostel accommodation, retail facilities and a cafe. It is hoped that The Sill will attract more than 100,000 visitors per annum.

Construction is expected to begin on site this year, with plans for opening in June 2017. An activity programme will accompany the build, starting in 2015, allowing even more accessibility to the public.