Ditchling Museum - an attraction in East Sussex housing a number of works by early 20th century artists - has received £835,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The grant will provide 34 per cent of the total cost of plans to revamp the museum and its collections, including the creation of new education spaces. A wider programme of activities, events and workshops are also planned, while the cart lodge

Margate's Turner Contemporary, a new £17.4m gallery dedicated to artist JMW Turner, has been officially handed over by Kent County Council (KCC). Construction work is now complete at the David Chipperfield-designed attraction, which been transferred over to the trust that will operate the venue. The handover comes after it was confirmed that Turner Contemporary will open its doors on 16 April 2011. R Durtnell and Sons has delivered the new

The new £21m Robert Burns Birthplace Museum (RBBM) has been unveiled by the National Trust of Scotland (NTS) in Alloway, Ayrshire. A 500sq m (5,382sq ft) exhibition space includes four areas - Identity, Inspiration, Fame and Creative Work - to explore the bard's life. The museum, which replaces the former Burns National Heritage Park, brings together a number of sites in Alloway with a connection to Burns. NTS has worked

Bangor University's (BU) plans for the development of a major new arts and innovation complex have received a £27.5m boost. The Welsh Assembly Government and European Regional Development Fund will help fund the £35m Pontio project, which will provide a "major focus" for Welsh culture. Due to open in early 2013, the proposed complex has been designed by consultants Atkins, Arup and Grimshaw Architects. Facilities will include an Innovation Hub;

Tate has announced that work on a £45m scheme to transform its original London gallery - Tate Britain - is to get underway in February 2011. Designed to help conserve the Sidney Smith-designed building,, the scheme will also entail a major upgrade of the the Grade II*-listed attraction's galleries. Caruso St John Architects' plans include the reconstruction of nine galleries in the southern part of the building and the revamp

Communities secretary Eric Pickles has approved developer Peel Holdings' plans for the £4.5bn transformation of Wallasey and Birkenhead Docks. Wirral Waters is one of the largest planning applications in the UK and was given the go ahead by Wirral Council in August, but had to go before the government. However, Pickles' decision to opt against calling in the scheme for further review means that a public inquiry will not be

Derbyshire County Council (DCC) has confirmed that work has started on the creation of a new £1.9m sports hall for Aldercar Community Language College, Langley Mill. Buchans has been appointed to deliver the facility, which was designed by ETC Design and will incorporate four new badminton courts and a fitness room. Changing facilities and two classrooms are also proposed as part of the scheme, which is being funded by the

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has reopened its new theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon following a £112.8m development programme. At the centre of the new-look Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) is a 1,040-seat main auditorium and a thrust stage, which has halved the distance of the furthest seat from the stage to 15m (49ft). The four-year development also included the creation of a Rooftop Restaurant to offer views overlooking the River Avon; a

The venue for the 2010 football World Cup final - Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa - has been named as the World's Best Sport Building. Designed by Populous and Boogertman + Partners, the 94,000-seat venue received the accolade at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. WAF Awards judges said of Soccer City Stadium: "It is a genuine example of a building forming deep and

The US$150m (£93m) expansion of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, US, is to open on Friday 26 November. The five-storey, 100,000sq ft museum will boast three floors of core exhibition space, which will explore more than 350 years of American Jewish history, while another floor will be dedicated to changing exhibits. The concourse will be entirely devoted to education: with classrooms, a theatre and a resource

Artist Neville Gabie has been appointed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) for a 16-month residency to deliver a number of schemes across the Olympic Park. Sam Wilkinson of InSite Arts has been named curator as part of the Arts Council England-backed initaitive, which aims to reach out to communities and the 2012 workforce. Gabie and Wilkinson will be tasked with delivering a series of participatory arts schemes that will

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction work on the new £19.1m ArcelorMittal Orbit tourist attraction in London. The 115m (377ft)-tall landmark sculpture, which will be sited at the heart of the 2012 Olympic Park, was designed by artist Anish Kapoor along with structural engineer Cecil Balmond. London mayor Boris Johnson was joined by ArcelorMittal chair and CEO Lakshmi Mittal and Andrew Altman, chief executive

A historic theatre in Aberdeen is to benefit from repairs and the reinstatement of architectural features to its exterior after being awarded funding for the work. The Tivoli Theatre Management Company (TTMC) will receive more than £500,000 as part of the Green Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) in order to undertake the improvements. First opened in 1872, the Grade A-listed venue's roof, masonry, windows and rainwater goods are to be repaired,

Plans for a new £21m arts complex in the heart of Southampton have progressed after the local authority confirmed the signing of the final agreements. Southampton City Council (SCC) announced that legal terms with Arts Council England and the council's development partner - Grosvenor Developments - have now been agreed. Detailed plans for the CZWG-designed venue are now to be drawn up with a view to being submitted in spring

Japan-based architects Kengo Kuma and Associates have been chosen to design the planned Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in Dundee. The practice was one of six shortlisted for the scheme, which will see an iconic new building developed at Craig Harbour - part of a wider regeneration of the city's waterfront area. A panel comprising representatives from the project's partners - Dundee City Council (DCC); the University of Dundee; the

Leisure sector organisations have issued a mixed response to the chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) published yesterday (20 October). George Osborne announced a 25 per cent cut in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) budget, which will run over the course of the review period to 2014-15. Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted it was a 'good settlement' and will help enable the government to "protect our sporting and

An architect has been appointed to design the new Museum of Nature and Science in Las Cruces, New Mexico, US. The current site of the museum, at Mesilla Valley Mall, is 3,900sq ft, is not big enough. ASA Architects, based in Las Cruces, have been given a US$400,000-plus (£250,000, 289m euro) contract to design a new, larger, building downtown. The project is expected to cost US$5.3m (£3.3m, 3.8m euro)and the

The Maryhill Museum of Art near Goldendale, Washington, US, is to receive a US$10m (£6.2m, 7.2m euro) expansion. The new 25,500sq ft (2,370sq m) Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing will represent the museum’s largest expansion in its 70-year history. Key elements of the expansion include: A dedicated education centre, which will double Maryhill's education space to accommodate the museum's range of programming, and a centralised collections suite with storage areas,

Thanet District Council (TDC) has revealed a list of 'priority projects' to be carried out ahead of the 2011 launch of Margate's new Turner Contemporary gallery. Decorative hoardings or screenings will be erected at the Fort Road Hotel and Arcadian sites as part of 10 schemes outlined in an action plan agreed by councillors on 23 September. Meanwhile, the council said it would continue to work with the sites' owners

Six potential designs for a new landmark building that will 'dominate' Dundee's waterfront and house the city's planned Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum have been unveiled. An exhibition is to open at the University of Abertay Dundee's library tomorrow (29 September) to allow members of the public to view the proposals drawn up by shortlisted design teams. Vienna, Austria-based Delugan Meissl Associated Architects; Kengo Kuma and Associates of Tokyo, Japan;

The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi, is to open on 6 November. Construction of the the Frank Gehry-designed museum began in 2003 at a cost of US$15m (£9.6m, 11.5m euro), but unfortunately Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, when the museum was 11 months from opening. The price of completing the museum has now risen to US$36m (£23m, 27m euro), with work beginning again in July 2008. The

The Photographers Gallery in London's West End is to close on 19 September ahead of the redevelopment of its Ramillies Street site. Plans by architects O'Donnell + Tuomey will see the former Edwardian warehouse turned into a photographic gallery and include the addition of textured acrylic render, Angelim Pedra hard wood and anthracite coloured terrazzo to elements of the existing structure and fabric of the building. The end result will

Leeds City Council (LCC) has announced that BAM Construction has commenced preparatory work at the site of the city's new multi-million pound entertainment arena. Populous is behind the design of the new Leeds Arena, which will be capable of accommodating 13,500 spectators and will ensure that the furthest seat is no more than 68m (223ft) from the centre of the stage. Work to prepare the city's Claypit Lane site will

Doncaster Council has approved plans for the creation of a new £22.3m performance venue in the heart of the town - part of a wider £300m civic and cultural quarter development. Arts Team - part of Renton Howard Wood Levin - has designed the new arts complex, which will boast a 600-seat main auditorium and a flexible, second space to cater for 200 seated or 400 standing. Dance and drama

Siemens, the international engineering and technology firm, is to build a £30m visitor attraction in London. The Siemens Pavilion will include exhibition space, a 300-seat auditorium and facilities for educational tour groups. There are plans for interactive exhibits, seating areas, a café and a shop, as well as outdoor seating areas and exhibition space. The centre, which will be located at the western end of the Royal Docks, is expected

The Jellyfish Theatre in Southwark will become the UK's first fully-functioning theatre made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials when it opens later this year. The opening of the venue is part of the The Oikos Project, a mix of public art, architecture and performance. It is the brainchild of Arts Council-funded organisations The Red Room and The Architecture Foundation, in association with The Junction, Cambridge. The Red Room will

Monmouth's Savoy Theatre and the Animal Wall - part of the Cardiff Castle complex - are among 24 historic buildings to receive a share of nearly £1m from the Welsh Assembly Government. The Savoy Theatre - one of the oldest venues of its kind in Wales - is set to benefit from repair restoration work to its front elevation after securing more than £39,000 as part of the funding package.