Nottingham's new £9m Victoria Leisure Centre remains on course to open in spring 2012 after the scheme reached the topping out stage - four months after work first started. The project is being led by the Local Education Partnership, which comprises Nottingham City Council (NCC) and inspiredspaces - a company set up by Carillion. Designed by London-based architects Levitate, the rebuilding of Victoria Leisure Centre is part of NCC's wider

Building work on a multi-million pound overhaul of Gateshead's Dunston Leisure Centre has been officially completed after the keys were handed over to the local authority. Willmott Dixon has been responsible for delivering the S&P Architects-designed scheme, which has transformed the 1960s swimming pool into a multi-use leisure complex. The construction phase has taken a year and contractors - along with Gateshead Council - will now carry out the finishing

Work on the construction of London 2012's flagship venue - the Olympic Stadium - has been completed nearly three years after the project commenced. Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chair John Armitt joined London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe and 400m hurdles medallist Tasha Danvers to lay the last piece of turf at the venue. The Populous-designed stadium was built by a team led by Sir Robert McAlpine and came in under

North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) has announced that work on a new multi-million pound leisure complex in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, has reached the topping out stage. A special ceremony has been held to mark the project's latest milestone, which also saw the last tile laid in the swimming pool at the Andrew Wright-designed venue. S&P Architects has worked on the scheme as 'delivery' architects, while Buro Happold and Bowmer and Kirkland have

Hockey matches at the 2012 Olympic Games will be played on blue pitches - the first time an Olympic or World-level hockey event has been played on a non-green surface. Sports Technology International has been appointed to design, install and maintain the 2012 hockey pitches, which will feature a blue main surface, pink run off areas and white lines. Plans for the Hockey Centre were submitted to the Olympic Delivery

Plans for the redevelopment of Edgbaston Priory Club have been awarded planning permission. The tennis and squash centre will be transformed by the introduction of a new sunken centre court with a capacity of 1,000 permanent seats, increasing to 2,500 seats during major competitions. Designed by Glenn Howells Architects, the redevelopment also includes the building of a new six-court indoor tennis centre, creating an all-year tennis facility. The existing Clubhouse

St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) has announced that construction work has started on the new multi-million pound Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre. Willmott Dixon commenced work on site following a turf-cutting ceremony on 21 March, with the S&P Architects-designed venue due for completion in summer 2012. Facilities at the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre will include a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) spa area with a 60sq m (646sq ft) terrace

South Tyneside Council (STC) has announced that construction work has started on a new £16m swimming pool and leisure complex on the seafront in South Shields. Designed by LA Architects, the complex will be located on the town's former Majestic and Quasar Laser site and will be delivered by construction firm GRAHAM. Facilities will include a 25m, eight-lane competition pool and an 18m x 8m teaching pool - both with

A ceremony has been held to mark the topping out of the new £19m National BMX Indoor Arena, which is currently being developed in Manchester. BMX World Champion Shanaze Reade helped celebrate the latest milestone for the project, which will include a 2,000-seat venue and a new headquarters for British Cycling. The new arena will house the UK's first purpose-built covered BMX track and will form a new National Cycling

Cornwall Council is to invest up to £120,000 in order to move forward with plans for a new multi-million pound stadium development near Truro. A provisional feasibility study has already earmarked Langarth Farm, Threemilestone, as the preferred site for the Miller Partnership-designed venue, which is set to cost around £24m. Cornwall Council appointed Gardiner and Theobald to undertake the Stadium for Cornwall study, which has proposed a 10,000-seat venue with

Plans for a redevelopment of the Tropicana site in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, appear to have collapsed after the last remaining bidder withdrew from the scheme. Last month, the Nightingale Group was awarded exclusive rights to develop the seafront site by North Somerset Council (NSC) after Havard Tisdale withdrew its bid in January. The Nightingale Group - working alongside FaulknerBrowns Architects, Serco and DTZ - had proposed a new indoor adventure water

Efforts to secure the future of a historic 1930s lido in Saltdean, East Sussex, have received a boost after it was confirmed that the property's listing is to be upgraded to Grade II* status. Save Saltdean Lido is working to safeguard the site as a multi-use community leisure facility, with London-based architects Conran and Partners working on the scheme. The campaign group had sought a review of the lido's listing

Emergent, the Los Angeles, US-based architectural practice, has been selected to design the new Civic Sports Centre and 2013 National Games Arena in Shenyang, China. Located adjacent to the city's Zhongshan Park, the 123,000sq m (1.3 million sq ft) complex has been designed for a range of uses and will "connect" the city's urban and natural life. The National Games Arena will feature a series of multi-level entrances and 2,000

Interior design solutions provider Tom Hoch has been selected to deliver the refurbishment of Glen Oaks Country Club's clubhouse in West Des Moines, Iowa, US. Using its 'revenue-based' design model, the clubhouse revamp will deliver improvements to space planning in a bid to enhance members' experience and operational efficiency. Hoch said: "This renovation truly breaks the mold of traditional clubhouse programming and design with innovative interior design changes creatively woven

Aberdeen Football Club's (AFC) plans for a new 21,000-seat stadium on land near Loirston Loch have been given the green light by the Scottish Government. The 39.5-acre (16-hectare) development - designed by the Miller Partnership - was approved by Aberdeen City Council last month and is due for completion ahead of the 2013-14 season. AFC said the Scottish Government's decision means it can now work to securing funding to deliver

Plans for a multi-million pound community and leisure centre in Midhurst, West Sussex, have been unveiled by Chichester District Council (CDC). CDC is leading the project with the help of West Sussex County Council; Grange Centre Trustees; and Midhurst Town Council. The Monument Trust has provided funding. Facilities at the new HNW Architects-designed centre will include a four-court sports hall; a multi-purpose community hall; a dance studio; a 70-station fitness

Work has commenced on the construction of St George's Park near Burton-upon-Trent - the Football Association's (FA) new £100m home for coach education. The new complex is also designed to provide an accessible grassroots football facility with community-use pitches and multi-sport provision. All 24 representative England squads will make use of St George's Park, while the League Managers Association is to be headquartered at the national football centre. Meanwhile, the

A planning application has been submitted for the development of a new leisure complex in Belper, Derbyshire. Last year, Amber Valley District Council (AVDC) put forward two proposals for the facility mix at the new venue as part of a public consultation. The majority of local residents opted for a complex comprising a 25m swimming pool with teaching pool. Healey Associates are behind the design of the facility, which will

Work has started on the development of a new 18-hole golf course at the US$300 (£185m, EUR215m) Kittitian Hill Resort in St Kitts. The new par-72 course has been designed by European Golf Design (EGD) in association with US Masters winner and 2006 Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam. A range of social and environmental issues have been addressed in the design of the 6,825-yard venue, which is due for completion

Plans for a new multi-sports and leisure club facility in Farnham, Surrey, have been revised to incorporate a larger health spa area and a smaller sports hall. A number of treatment/therapy rooms and a hydrotherapy area is to be developed as part of the new complex, along with changing facilities. Squash courts; a multi-gym area; sports studios and changing facilities will also be provided, as well as outdoor tennis courts

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, has urged the government to help progress plans for the redevelopment of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's (THFC) stadium in North London. The Premier League club revealed in January that its Northumberland Development Project proposals were no longer viable due to increased costs. However, THFC was unsuccessful in its bid to move to the Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games and Lammy is now looking to

A new environmentally-friendly leisure complex is to be developed in Ely, Cambridgeshire, after the local authority approved the proposals. East Cambridgeshire District Council's (ECDC) planning committee has awarded planning permission for the Roberts Limbrick-designed facility. A 25m, six-lane swimming pool; a children's leisure water area; a six-court sports hall; and an additional fitness area are proposed as part of the development. Space for indoor cricket; spinning rooms; dance and aerobic

Warrington Wolves rugby league team has announced plans to expand its Halliwell Jones Stadium ahead of the 2012 Super League season. The venue first opened eight years ago and is now poised to undergo work to develop both corners of the Martin Dawes Stand (East) to increase capacity by 2,000. Standing terraces from the Wolves' former Wilderspool ground were incorporated into the design of the Halliwell Jones Stadium and are

Plans for a new multi-million pound stadium development at Ashton Vale, Bristol, have been handed a boost by Bristol City Council's development control (south and east) committee. Sainsbury's has been awarded planning permission to develop a new supermarket at the site of Bristol City Football Club's (BCFC) current Ashton Gate ground. The plans would provide crucial enabling funds for the npower Championship side's bid to develop a 30,000-seat venue designed

Plans for a £4.8m scheme to create new fitness and youth facilities in Liverpool, along with a new home for Toxteth Fire Station, have been unveiled by the local authority. The Toxteth Firefit proposals have now been lodged with the Big Lottery Fund, which is to include the redevelopment of Toxteth Sports Centre. Facilities will include a sports hall, a fitness suite, a climbing wall and a dance/drama studio, as

An outline planning application for the development of a new sports village in the centre of London has been submitted to Lewisham Council. Renewal is behind the Surrey Canal: London's Sporting Village scheme, which will lead to the creation of a new community based around a regional centre of sporting excellence. The home of Millwall Football Club, the New Den, is included in the 30-acre (13.5-hectare) Surrey Canal site and