Plans to enhance the visitor experience at Stonehenge, Wiltshire, have received a £10m boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The grant will help plug a funding shortfall for the creation of a £27m visitor centre at the prehistoric monument, which currently attracts around 900,000 visitors a year. In June, the government announced that it was withdrawing a £10m contribution towards the proposals in a bid to help reduce public spending and to cut the national deficit.

The proposed visitor centre, which will feature enhanced exhibition and education space, is to be built at Airman's Corner - 1.5 miles (2.4km) west of the World Heritage Site. HLF chair Dame Jenny Abramsky said: "Stonehenge demonstrates the vital role heritage plays within the UK's tourism industry as well as being a great example of our fascinating history."

English Heritage chief executive Dr Simon Thurley added: "Not only does [this grant] help to narrow the funding gap for the project considerably, it also sends out a message of confidence about the transformational benefits that the project will bring."