A Co Tyrone construction firm has completed work on a 400-bedroom hotel at Heathrow airport, three months ahead of schedule.

McAleer & Rushe has handed the Premier Inn project at Terminal Five over to developer, Grove Developments, after just 46 weeks, against a scheduled time-frame of 59 weeks.

The new five-storey hotel, designed by Belfast-based White Ink architects, totals 11,950 sqm in size.

Being set beside the airport, McAleer & Rushe worked hard to reduce external noise and as a result, the hotel design was centred around an inner courtyard to provide an acoustic "buffer zone".

Martin Magee, construction director of McAleer -amp; Rushe, said that to reach completion on a project of this scale and complexity a full three months ahead of the scheduled handover date was a testament to the skills of the workforce.

"This has been the first of four buildings to be constructed on behalf of Grove Developments and, with the success achieved on this project, we look forward with confidence to completing the other properties in the development programme.

"We are very appreciative of the excellent relationship we have with Grove, and hope it can be extended beyond existing contracted properties."

Sinead Hughes, head of Grove Developments, added: "We were delighted to work with McAleer & Rushe.

"Completing the project ahead of time, within budget and to the exacting standards we set augurs well for the remaining properties in the development programme."