A new £17 million serviced apartment complex in the Jewellery Quarter is expected to open six months later than originally planned following the collapse of its main contractor.

Irish group Staycity announced last year that it was opening its second venue in Birmingham in the former science museum which closed in 1997.

The apart-hotel, in Newhall Square, was due to open last month but the project's main contractor GB Building Solutions and its parent company GB Group Holdings went into administration in March.

A spokeswoman for Staycity told the Post: "The main contractor went into administration so there was period of time when there was no-one on site.

"The developer RO Group is about to announce the appointment of a new contractor meaning now there is a tentative date of November this year for the opening."

The apart-hotel will contain 172 one- and two-bedroom units and will join Dublin-based Staycity's sister site in the Arcadian where it operates 79 serviced apartments.

Other apart-hotels are planned for the Bloc hotel in Caroline Street, the former HSBC building in Paradise Circus, an Adagio outlet in the Beorma Quarter and at 7-8 Waterloo Street in the main business district.

RO Group had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.