Plans for the construction of a new £3.1m sports hall at Wellsway School, Keynsham, have been rejected by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES). Facilities at the Boyes Rees Architects-designed complex would include a large sports hall; a dance studio; a fitness suite with free weights; changing areas; and teaching space. The reprovision of tennis courts and cricket nets also formed part of the scheme, which was refused planning

Work on a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme at Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock, Staffordshire, is to get underway in April. Cannock Chase District Council (CCDC) has appointed Derby-based GF Tomlinson as its main contractor for the scheme, following the completion of a tender process. Due for completion in 2012, the scheme will include a 25m competition-standard swimming pool with boom and moveable floor; a 150-station fitness suite; and a dance

Rotherham United Football Club (RUFC) has unveiled its final plans for a new 12,000-seat stadium on the town's former Guest and Chrimes foundry site. Designed by S&P Architects, the stadium scheme will be project managed by Gleeds and is to be delivered by GMI Construction. Under the plans for the stadium, the west stand will accommodate exhibition and banqueting facilities for a combined total of 600 guests, as well as

Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) has announced that S&P Architects chief executive officer Keith Ashton has been named chair of its Sports Working Group. Ashton – a contributor to policy and thinking at BISL over the past few years – will succeed David Teasdale, who is the new executive chair of the organisation. Teasdale said: "Keith brings to this important BISL post a breadth of vital experience and creative

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is to begin exclusive discussions with property company Almacantar over a planned 300,000 sq ft (27,870sq m) residential scheme at the Nursery End of Lord's cricket ground, along Wellington Road. Keith Bradshaw, secretary and chief exective of MCC said: "We are delighted to have selected Almacantar. We have been impressed with the quality of their submission, which demonstrates a high degree of inventive thinking; something entirely

Bristol City Football Club's (BCFC) plans to develop a new multi-million pound stadium at Ashton Vale could be dealt a fresh blow by the local authority. Local planning officers have recommended that a proposal for a new supermarket on the site of the club's current Ashton Gate ground be refused by councillors. Sainsbury's is looking to relocate from its Winterstoke Road store in order to help fund the new Populous-designed

Aberdeen Football Club (AFC) has been given the green light to proceed with proposals for a new 21,000-seat stadium on land near Loirston Loch. Aberdeen City Council's full council voted 23-17 in favour of approving the scheme, which will now go before the Scottish Government for consideration. The 39.5-acre (16-hectare) development - due for completion ahead of the 2013-14 season - will also feature car parking, landscaping and access arrangements.

Plans for a new £31m leisure and community facility in Redcar have received the support of local residents, following a public exhibition and consultation. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) is proposing a purpose-built venue as part of the scheme, which will feature a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and leisure pool. A dance hall and performance space; a fitness suite and junior gym; and business space for small-to-medium enterprises are

Lewisham Council has announced that work has commenced on the construction of a new leisure centre in Forest Hill, South London. Willmott Dixon has been appointed to build the Roberts Limbrick-designed facility, which will occupy the site of the former Forest Hill Pools and is due to open in late 2012. A 25m main swimming pool; a 16.7m learner pool; a fitness gym; two studios; a café; and a community

The City of York Council (CYC) has approved plans for a new £9m sports complex as part of a wider expansion of the University of York's Heslington East campus. York Sports Village will feature a competition-standard eight-lane, 25m swimming pool and a learner pool; a 100-station gym; and a full-size 3G astroturf pitch. Three further five-a-side football pitches are also planned as part of the new Space Architects-designed complex, which

A new 6,000-seat velodrome has become the first 2012 Games-time venue at London's Olympic Park to be completed. Work on the VeloPark started in March 2009 and will be host to indoor cycling and BMX competitions at the London Games. Members of the Team GB cycling team took to the track to mark the occasion, with the new velodrome to be handed over to Olympic organisers for the installation of

North Somerset Council (NSC) has awarded the exclusive rights to develop the Tropicana site in Weston-super-Mare to the Nightingale Group. The developer has secured exclusivity status for a six-month period, although the council's procurement process will continue in line with European Union regulations. Nightingale Group - working with FaulknerBrowns Architects, Serco and DTZ - proposes a new indoor adventure water park with children's play pool, leisure waters and rides. An

Gateshead Council has announced that Dunston Leisure Centre is to reopen to the public on 11 April, following a multi-million pound refurbishment. S&P Architects are behind the design of the 12-month revamp, which included the provision of a new gym and two studios alongside improved swimming facilities. Dunston Leisure Centre's steamroom, sauna, and squash court access have also undergone a series of improvements, along with changing rooms and the building's

Birmingham City Football Club (BCFC) has unveiled new visions of how its St Andrew's stadium could look in future if it is redeveloped. GMI Constructions in conjunction with WCEC Architects; Populous and Buckingham; and Jak Design have all devised proposals for a potential revamp of the venue. According to the Premier League club, the redevelopment of St Andrew's could be the most "financially prudent option" with average attendances of less

De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester will invest in a new £8m leisure centre designed by S&P Architects. Plans to build the centre were given the final go-ahead by the university's Finance and HR Committee and approved by the Board of Governors today (18 February). The Leicester City Council's planning authority had given planning approval for the project at its committee meeting on 18 January 2011. The two-storey building, which

Doncaster deputy mayor Patricia Schofield is to open a new sports facility at Cantley Park on 24 February. A multi-use games area and grass football pitches will be provided at the venue, in addition to a pavilion with eight changing rooms, a referees room and a community room. Sustainable features have been incorporated into the construction of the building, including high-efficiency condensing boilers and air source heat pumps. The facility

A large indoor destination snow resort could be created on the site of the 2012 media complex in the heart of London's Olympic Park. Acer Snowmec has announced that it has submitted an expression of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for the Snow in the City mixed-use development. A development consortium team - led by ASL Developments - has chosen Gensler to draw up plans for the

Construction work on the latest phase of a multi-million pound project to revamp Gateshead International Stadium has been completed. A new two-storey extension - featuring a café, classroom and hospitality facilities - is set to be complemented by the refurbishment of existing changing facilities. The design of the structure aims to enable spaces to provide multiple uses, with classrooms for Gateshead College's Academy for Sport also able to cater for

The Government of South Australia and the Stadium Management Authority has appointed Mott MacDonald to lead a major redevelopment of Adelaide Oval. First opened during the 1870s, the multi-sport venue is to undergo an extensive AU$450m (£283m, EUR333.4m, US$455.1m) overhaul. UK-based Mott MacDonald will carry out design and project management services as part of the scheme, which aims establish a "world-class" 50,000-seat stadium. The redeveloped Adelaide Oval will cater for

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has unveiled its vision for the future of London's Olympic Stadium if it is the successful bidder for the venue. The Premier League club is working with O2 Arena operator AEG on the venture, which is to feature a new-build 60,000-seat stadium on the site of the flagship Olympic Park site. Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium would also be redeveloped as part of THFC's plans, which

Redditch Borough Council (RBC) is to proceed with plans to reuse energy from the town's crematorium to heat the revamped Abbey Stadium Leisure Centre. Members of the full council approved the proposal at its meeting on 7 February, which will enable work to start on diverting waste heat into the complex. It is the first project of its kind in the UK and will see 100 per cent of the

K2 Architects have been revealed as the preferred firm to design the building, finishes and features of a Watersports Hotspot on Colwyn Bay promenade. A design competition for the scheme - part of the Colwyn Bay Waterfront Project - saw a total of six firms shortlisted and put on public display. The top two submissions were identified following the evaluation process before being put before Conwy Council's cabinet, which backed

North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) has confirmed that Scunthorpe Leisure Centre is to be demolished in the autumn in order to provide land for redevelopment. Subject to approval, the 27-year-old facility on Carlton Street will make way after the local authority revealed it had received interest from groups looking to develop the site. Scunthorpe Leisure Centre employees will transfer to The Pods, a new facility designed by Andrew Wright with S&P

St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) has earmarked £16.7m towards a new leisure centre in its corporate plan and budget for 2011-16. The funding will go towards the development of the new Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre, work on which is already underway ahead of a scheduled completion date in 2012. Cabinet members also approved investment for a new leisure facility at Cotlandswick, London Colney, as part of 'priority' plans

Stroud District Council (SDC) has announced that it is looking into the possibility of using food waste to power Stratford Park Leisure Centre, Gloucestershire. Following the council's cabinet meeting in January, proposals are being drawn up for a new anaerobic digester facility to convert household and commercial food waste into energy. One of the potential locations for the installation is at the rear of the leisure complex, which has an

Houston Dynamo has been given the green light to proceed with the development of a new 22,000-seat 'soccer-specific' stadium in downtown Houston, Texas, US. In addition to hosting the club's Major League Soccer home games, the proposed venue is to be used for Texas Southern University football, concerts and boxing events. Due to open in 2012, the Populous-designed stadium will become one of the first 'soccer-specific' Major League Soccer venues

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has revealed plans for encasing a large waste treatment plant with an artificial ski slope and creating a leisure destination in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ingels' practice, Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG), has been appointed to replace a 40-year-old waste treatment plant with a new one, and the 36-year-old architect has announced his desire to use the opportunity to rejuvenate the industrial quarter and to turn it into a