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

The University of Brighton has opened a new £6m sports centre at its Falmer Campus in East Sussex, which has been designed by S&P Architects. Leadbitter Construction was appointed to deliver the new facility, which replaces a former gymnasium that made way for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club's stadium development. Facilities at the Falmer centre include 400sq m (4,306sq ft) main fitness suite and two 180sq m (1,938sq ft)

Designs for the new climbing walls and aerial assault course that will comprise part of Plymouth's £46.5m Life Centre have been revealed. The major new leisure development will feature five areas - three climbing walls, a bouldering area and an aerial assault course - to provide facilities for beginners and elite climbers. Under the plans, there will be a total of 870sq m (9,365sq ft) of climbing area at the

University of Edinburgh has launched its new £4.8m, three-storey gym extension which will provide around 1,900sq m of additional sports conditioning and physical activity space. The new three-storey building on the site of an old brewery incorporates below-ground vaults, which were once used to store kegs of beer and have not been open since being used as air raid shelters during World War II. The revamp means that Pleasance Sports

Southend Borough Council (SBC) has confirmed that a new £13.5m swimming and diving venue at Garon Park will open on 15 November. Ipswich-based ISG Jackson commenced work on the Archial Architects-designed Southend Swimming and Diving Centre in July last year. Sport England has part-funded the development. Facilities will include a 25m, eight-lane competition pool and a diving pool, which has fixed platforms at 1m, 3m, 5m, 7.5m and 10m and

Atkins and Populous have unveiled plans for the transformation of London's Horse Guards Parade into the 2012 Olympic beach volleyball venue. The iconic Whitehall location will boast an outdoor seating bowl able to cater for 15,000 spectators under proposals submitted to Westminster City Council for consideration. Two "distinct elements" comprise the design of the new venue - a lower bowl providing a high energy atmosphere and an upper bowl using

A new £8m 'leisure and learning' centre, which aims to teach young people about citizenship, has been opened in Sutton, south London. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg attended the launch of the Sutton Life Centre, which includes one of the largest climbing walls in the UK - 20m x 10m - and sports courts. London-based Curl la Tourelle Architects and Land Design Studio were behind the design of the new

A new £5.6m swimming pool and fitness centre has opened in Brighouse, West Yorkshire - four years after the town's former pool complex closed. Designed by Saunders Boston and built by Willmott Dixon, the new facility has double the swimming space of its predecessor - 432sq m (4,650sq ft) and boasts a 25m, six-lane main pool. Other facilities include a 20m learner pool, a 65-station fitness suite and a multi-purpose

Plans for the development of a new permanent competition-standard ice rink in Bournemouth, have received the green light from planning officials. Bournemouth Borough Council's (BBC) planning board has approved the project, which has been proposed by the local authority and is poised to include other leisure facilities. However, the King's Park ice stadium plans remains subject to the backing of the Highways Agency, which has asked for further details relating

Surrey-based design practice Thomson Perrett and Lobb (TPL) has been selected to draw up plans for a new golf academy for Moscow, Russia. The academy will be located at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, which is one of largest sports facilities in Europe and caters for more than 40 different activities. A nine-hole, par three golf course will be included as part of the TPL-designed academy, along with a driving range,

The future of London's Europa Gymastics Centre has been secured with the unveiling of plans to build a new home for the facility in Crayford. A new venue is to be built on the Samas Roneo site, which has been donated to the London Borough of Bexley by the housing developer and landowner, Barratt Homes. The new Maiden Lane facility aims to boost access for the entire community and will

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

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) has agreed to put forward concept designs for a proposed new leisure complex in Ely for consideration by planners. The Roberts Limbrick-designed proposals would see an eco-friendly and sustainable venue built to replace the existing Paradise Pool facility, including a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and a six-court sports hall. A small children's leisure water area, an additional fitness area, family changing facilities and a car

A ceremony is to be held on 18 October to mark the topping out of a new £12m leisure centre, which is being built on a site near Matlock, Derbyshire. Donna Kellogg, former Commonwealth Games badminton gold medallist, and local dignitaries will attend at the event in a bid to help celebrate the construction milestone. London-based Morgan Sindall was chosen by Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC) to build the Central

Glasgow-based Barr + Wray has been appointed by main contractor Farrans Construction, on behalf of North Down Borough Council, to install the 50m swimming pool and associated plant works at a new leisure complex in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. The new £38m facility – designed by McAdam Design with S&P Architects – will be located at Valentine Playing Fields. The project, which includes a £15m investment from the Northern

The foundation stone for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Stadium has been laid in a ceremony attended by Russian Federation vice-premier Dimitry Kozak and John Barrow, senior principle of sports design and construction firm Populous. Populous designed the Sochi Olympic Masterplan with the Olympic Stadium serving as the centre point. The stadium will become the central icon of the Games and is closely linked to the Olympic Flame. The design

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has been given the green light for the development of a new 56,250-seat stadium by planners at the local authority. Haringey Council has backed the Premier League club's proposals for the Northumberland Development Project, which includes a new stadium; a public square; and a new club store with museum. KSS is behind the design of the scheme, which will also include the restoration of the

Birmingham's Alexander Stadium is set to undergo a £12.25m redevelopment after the local authority approved the business plan for the scheme. It is hoped the 'self-financing' redevelopment will establish the stadium as a potential base for UK Athletics (UKA), with plans featuring a 5,000-seat stand to increase capacity to 12,800. The S&P Architects-designed plans also allow for the installation of temporary seating if required, while new office space will be

Castleford Tigers rugby league team has welcomed 'overwhelming' feedback from supporters, following a consultation into its proposed new stadium design. The club has secured an agreement with developer Waystone for a new stadium at Glasshoughton, which will form part of a wider 335-acre (136-hectare) mixed-use scheme. Leeds-based architects Ramsdens and Partners has designed the venue, and Castleford Tigers now expects to submit detailed plans by mid-October. Castleford Tigers chief executive

Pellikaan Construction is set to start demolition work on a former school building in Horley, Surrey, which is making way for a new £7.5m leisure centre development. The Holland-based contractor has already commenced work to prepare the site for the demolition of Court Lodge Secondary School, which is to get underway on 17 September. Masonry from the existing building will be crushed on site and reused to provide hardcore for

Calderdale Council has announced that two new swimming pools and fitness facilities at Brighouse and Sowerby Bridge are due to open on 25 October and 22 November respectively. The £10.5m project - designed by Saunders Boston and delivered by contractor Willmott Dixon - has been part-funded by the sale of Leeds-Bradford International Airport in 2007. Both of the new centres will include a 25m, six-lane swimming pool; a learner pool