Plans for a new £13.6m multi-purpose leisure facility to replace the fire-damaged Afan Lido venue in Port Talbot have been unveiled by the local authority. Neath Port Talbot Council (NPTC) confirmed that the leisure part of the proposed complex is to be run in partnership with Celtic Community Leisure. Facilities at the Holder Mathias Architects-designed centre will include a 25m swimming pool; a learner pool; a sports hall; a fitness

England women's footballer Sue Smith has helped officially launch a new £3.7m sports hall at Chipping Sodbury School in Gloucestershire. Designed by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in-house architect Nicole Muller, the facility has been delivered by Surrey-based Wates Construction. A 3G artificial pitch also formed part of the scheme, which has been funded by the local authority (£3m) and the Football Foundation (£630,000). SGC executive member for children and young

Outline planning permission has been granted for the development of a new £55m golf, hotel and residential development near Broughty Ferry, Dundee. Local entrepreneur Mike Forbes' proposals for The Angus, which have been drawn up by architects Archial, have been given the green light by planning officials at Angus Council. An international competition-standard, 18-hole championship golf course designed by Darren Clarke is at the heart of the scheme, along with

North Tyneside Council (NTC) has unveiled a new £1.2m sports pavilion at Forest Hall in order to replace an outdated timber community centre. East Palmersville Sports Pavilion - designed by _space group and project managed by Kier North Tyneside - will be used by Forest Hall Young People's Club. Facilities include six changing rooms; two officials rooms; a first aid room; a multi-purpose activity hall; and storage space. A floodlit

Oxford University's plans for a major overhaul of its Iffley Road sports complex have been given the green light by Oxford City Council. FaulknerBrowns Architects are behind the design of the multi-million pound project, which is set to include the demolition of the existing grandstand. A lower grandstand will be built to accommodate an indoor cricket school, a projectiles range, spectator seating and changing rooms. Meanwhile, a one double-sized and

Salford City Reds rugby league team has secured a deal that will enable it to use a new £26m community stadium at Barton-upon-Irwell as its home ground. The Super League club has reached agreement with a joint venture between Salford City Council (SCC) and developer Peel to play at the venue, which is due to open in 2012. Meanwhile, construction work on the AFL Architects-designed venue is to start in

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

St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) is to seek a new preferred contractor for the demolition and reconstruction of Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre. Although no contracts had been signed with Michael McNamara & Co, the council had identified the company as its preferred option before it entered receivership. Drivers Jonas Deloitte has now been instructed to 'recalculate the financial scores' of original tenders for the scheme in order to

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's (THFC) plans for the £450m redevelopment of its White Hart Lane stadium in North London has received the green light from London mayor Boris Johnson. A new 56,250-seat venue is at the heart of the Northumberland Development Project proposals, although the Premier League club is still in contention to take over the running of the Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games. Haringey Council had already approved

Plans for a new £10m sports arena on the site of a former fruit and vegetable market in Worcester are to be submitted by the University of Worcester (UW) next week. The Robert Limbrick Architects-designed Worcester Arena is designed to help drive up participation from grassroots to elite level across the region. Willmott Dixon has been appointed to work with consultants to develop the design of the 5,300sq m (57,049sq

Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) has officially unveiled a new £178,500 skateboarding and BMX facility at Southfields Park, Loughborough. Skate and bike ramps at the new facility have been designed for street skaters and transition skaters and was opened by mayor Jill Vincent on 16 November. Freestyle Skateparks and Loughborough Skatepark Association were behind the design of the facility, which was part-funded by the Veolia Environmental Trust (£70,000). The Community Spaces

Preparatory work has started on a multi-million pound scheme to revamp the Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre in St Albans, Hertfordshire. A number of buildings are to be demolished in order to make way for the S&P Architects-designed facility, with the main construction phase due to get underway in January. The new Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre, which is due for completion in summer 2012, will feature a 500sq m (5,382sq ft)

Construction work is now underway on Nottingham's new £9m Victoria Leisure Centre, which has been designed by architects Levitate. Parts of the former facility, which shut on 1 April, have already been demolished in order to allow for the start of the construction phase. A six-lane, 25m family swimming pool with separate children's pool and fun splash play area will feature at the heart of the development, along with fitness

Hertfordshire-based Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Lewisham Council to deliver a new leisure centre in Forest Hill, South London. Work is due to commence on the Roberts Limbrick Architects-designed facility in January, which will replace the existing Forest Hill Pools and feature a 25m main pool. A 16.7m learner pool; a fitness gym; two studios; a community room; and a café will also form part of the centre -

Oxfordshire-based developer The Leadbitter Group has commenced work on the construction of a new £8m leisure complex in Dorchester, Dorset. Dorset County Council and West Dorset District Council (WDDC) are working in partnership on the scheme, which is scheduled for completion in 2012. Facilities at the Dyer-designed Dorchester Sports Centre will include a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery; a 60-station fitness suite; a dance studio; and a changing village.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has criticised a lack of public funding support for the proposed £450m redevelopment of its White Hart Lane ground. According to chair Daniel Levy, the Premier League club had not been awarded any public cash to progress the plans, which have been revised at a cost of £50m. Levy said that Arsenal Football Club had received assistance to develop a new stadium at Ashburton Grove,

The next phase of a scheme to redevelop Gateshead International Stadium remains 'on track' to be completed in the New Year. S&P Architects are working with Gateshead Council on the current phase of work, which will include a new building to house a reception, catering and teaching space. Existing changing and toilet accommodation is also being upgraded as part of the work, which commenced on 6 September. The £7.6m redevelopment

Sedgemoor District Council (SDC) has 'reaffirmed' its plans to develop a swimming pool alongside the new Chilton Trinity School in Bridgwater, Somerset. Pressure group Bridgwater Forward had petitioned the council to scrap the current plans in order to investigate the possibility of building the new facility at the Northgate site. However, SDC has reiterated its plans to pursue the Chilton Trinity scheme in partnership with BAM Construction as part of

Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) has agreed to proceed with proposals for a £6m overhaul of the Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre in Aylesbury. FaulknerBrowns Architects has been appointed by the local authority to draw up the plans, which include a new on-site healthcare facility and new dry changing facilities. A new gym - double the size of the existing offer; a retractable roof for the outdoor pool and

University of Glamorgan has opened the doors to its new £3.7m coaching and performance facility. Designed by architects Holder Mathias, the dual-use centre includes a multi-purpose sports hall with six courts and an ancillary support block, a strength and conditioning lab for elite training, a lecture and meeting room, as well as a teaching facility with a notational analysis room. Built by Midas Construction and located at Glamorgan Sport Park,

A new multi-million pound leisure centre - designed by S&P Architects and built by Willmott Dixon - has been unveiled by Gateshead Council. Heworth Leisure Centre is the second of two new-build facilities to open as part of the council's wider £37m investment in local sport and leisure provision. The new complex boasts a Flowrider - the North East's first indoor surfing facility, in addition to a four-lane, 25m swimming

Everton Football Club's (EFC) plans for a £9m retail and administration development at its Goodison Park stadium has been given the green light. Liverpool City Council has approved the Premier League club's proposals, which will have been drawn up by Formroom Architects for the Park End of the ground. Facilities will include a 900sq m (9,688sq ft) EFC retail shop; a museum; a café and a 'fan-focused hospitality lounge, as

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

Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) chair Baroness Ford has expressed hopes that the London 2012 site will provide a 'new piece of city' for the capital. Speaking at the Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) conference on 10 November, Ford said the Olympic Park was more than just about sports venues and parkland following the Games. According to Ford, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has the potential to have the

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

Basildon Council has unveiled designs for a new climbing wall that will form part of the entrance to the Essex town's new multi-million pound sports development. Plans for the 24.2m x 10m (79.4ft x 32.8ft) structure have been drawn up by County Durham-based Rockwords and will also include a 7.4m (24.3ft)-wide bouldering area. Kevin Blake, cabinet member for leisure and the arts at Basildon Council, said the facility would provide

The University of Worcester's plans for a new sports and multi-purpose arena are due to be submitted to the local authority by the end of the month. Roberts Limbrick Architects are behind the designs of the proposed Worcester Arena, which is scheduled to launch in spring 2012 ahead of the London Olympics. It is anticipated that the complex will offer facilities for both elite performers and community groups, while also