The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has earmarked £5m towards the £35m redevelopment of The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Plans for the museum, located on the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, include a new 7,300sq m (78,576sq ft) wing, a new south entrance, a 850sq m (9,149sq ft) gallery, an open archive centre and learning spaces.

Proposals also feature a restaurant, a café, a shop and upgraded visitor facilities. The expanded archive and library will provide a new treasures gallery for iconic maritime objects and an interactive gallery.

The commitment from HLF, together with a £20m gift from philanthropist Sammy Ofer – after whom the wing will be named – covers approximately 90 per cent of the project and means the redevelopment is on track for a 2012 opening to mark the museum's 75th anniversary.

Director of the museum Dr Kevin Fewster said: "The project signals a new chapter in the way the National Maritime Museum relates to its surroundings and to its 1.7 million visitors, creating greater cohesion between all our venues and the rest of the World Heritage Site.

"It will also help to put the museum at the forefront of major exhibitions, both nationally and internationally."