Kinross Curling Trust has announced plans to build a National Curling Academy in the town of Kinross. The design by Archial Architects - formerly the SMC Group - comprises a six-rink ice pad, a gym and changing facilities, in addition to a café, a curling museum and offices. Charles Smith, director of Archial Architects, said: "The general design features of the building reflect the intentions for a world-class facility. "The

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (SWFC) has unveiled new plans to redevelop its Hillsborough stadium in a bid to be included as one of the host venues for the 2018 World Cup. The scheme, which the Coca Cola Championship club anticipates will cost a total of £22m, will include increasing the venue's seating capacity from 39,812 to 44,825 and the construction of a new landmark roof structure for the Kop stand.

Work has started on a £479,000 scheme to refurbish the Fore Street Pool in Ipswich, Suffolk, as part of Ipswich Borough Council's (IBC) £4m investment in local swimming facilities. The 114-year-old swimming pool, which is one of the oldest operating facilities in the country, will benefit from new floors in the changing rooms, new lighting and vending facilities and a complete redecoration of the building's interior and exterior. Construction company

Glasgow City Council (GCC) has appointed Sir Robert McAlpine as the main contractor for the city's new £120m National Indoor Sports Arena and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome venues. The council's executive committee approved the findings of a report that recommended the selection of the Hertfordshire-based construction company from a shortlist of four firms, which also included Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend Lease and BAM. Both the 5,000-seat NISA and the

A new £4.5m sports and community complex, which has been designed to incorporate a number of environmentally friendly features, has opened to the public in west London. The Little Venice Sports Centre on Crompton Street, which is the only venue in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), includes four badminton courts, a large sports hall with underfloor heating and a multi-purpose dance and exercise studio.

The £10m Amphitheatre Wellness Centre in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, is to open on 17 August. Designed by Given Architects, the centre will boast an “Olympic-standard” fitness suite supplied by Technogym, a floodlit synthetic sports pitch, squash courts, a synthetic tennis court, a 25m swimming pool, a soft-play area and a multi-purpose sports hall for badminton, five-a-side football, netball, basketball and gymnastics. The centre was built on the site of the

Sir Robert McAlpine, the Hertfordshire-based company, is set to be named as the main contractor for the new £120m National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome venues in Glasgow. A report due to go before Glasgow City Council's (GCC) executive committee on 14 August has identified Sir Robert McAlpine as its preferred contractor from a shortlist of four firms, which also included Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend

The £12m leisure centre planned for Matlock, Derbyshire, looks set to be given the green light by Derbyshire Dales District Council. As previously reported in Leisure Opportunities, the centre is set to include an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, two sports halls, a dance studio and a fitness suite. However, the designs – created by Dyer Architects – have come under fire from both Matlock Town Council and Matlock Civic Association,

A new £20m Olympic-sized swimming pool, which has been included as a potential training facility for teams ahead of the London 2012 Games, has officially opened in Corby, Northamptonshire. The 50m Corby East Midlands International Pool was unveiled by Olympic swimmer Mark Foster on 24 July and is equipped with moveable floors and booms to accommodate international junior diving events and short and long course races. Designed by S&P Architects,

A friendly match between Cardiff City Football Club (CCFC) and Glasgow Celtic Football Club has marked the opening of a new multi-million pound sports stadium at Leckwith, Cardiff. The 25,000-seat venue was built by Laing O'Rourke and developed by PMG Estates on a site adjacent to the football club's former Ninian Park home, while the Cardiff Blues rugby team will also be relocating to the stadium from its current home

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that construction work on the 2012 Handball Arena has started two months ahead of schedule at the Olympic Park in East London. Buckingham Group Contracting has been appointed to construct the venue, which will host qualifying games for the handball competition during the London 2012 Olympics, as well as the modern pentathlon fencing and goalball during the Paralympics. After the Games, the Handball

Proposals for a £24m indoor BMX centre in Manchester's Sportcity development have been announced. The 110,000sq ft (10,220sq m) National Cycling Centre, designed by Ellis Williams Architects, will boast a 2,000-seat BMX arena and offices for the headquarters of the British Cycling Federation. The centre will be surrounded by new public spaces, including outdoor freestyle cycling areas, forming a velopark. Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester, which is

A £13m leisure centre will be built at Manor Park in Rushden, Northamptonshire, to replace outdated facilities at the Splash Leisure Pool and the Pemberton Centre. The scheme will comprise a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool and a teaching pool, as well as a four court sports hall, dance/exercise studios and a health and fitness suite. The facility will be project managed by global consultants Mace, whose previous projects include the

Olympic minister Tessa Jowell maintains that the 80,000-capacity athletics stadium being built for the 2012 Games will later be downsized to a 25,000-seat venue. In response to London Mayor Boris Johnson's suggestion that the Stratford venue be maintained in size to potentially host the 2018 World Cup, the olympics minister insisted: "We don't need another football stadium - we've got Wembley. "We made a very clear commitment in the bid

Bramston Sports Centre in Witham, Essex, is set to be overhauled to provide improved facilities for local residents. Braintree District Council plans to replace the ageing facility with a new building housing a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool; a 10-metre learner pool; and a spectator area for 100 people. Also under discussion is the provision of a diving pool, a gymnasium and two squash courts, costing a further £3.5m. The cabinet

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has named the contractor that will be responsible for building the Basketball Arena for the London 2012 Games. Paisley-based Barr Construction won the £58m contract to build the 12,000-seat stadium, which will be the third largest venue on the Olympic Park. ODA chair John Armitt said: “The Basketball Arena is a significant venue for us as it will be the third largest venue on the

Dollan Aqua Centre in East Kilbride is set to undergo a £7m overhaul. The leisure centre closed its door to the public last year when a routine inspection revealed that the concrete structure of the Grade-A listed building had deteriorated. Immediate structural repairs determined in consultation with Historic Scotland will be carried out by Paisley-based Clark Contracts, with completion scheduled for winter 2010.

Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC) has appointed construction company Morgan Ashurt to build the first phase of a £200m redevelopment of Old Trafford cricket ground. The initial phase of the project, which has been designed by BDP Architects, includes the creation of a new £12m glass-fronted conference and events facility overlooking the cricket pitch, which will be able to cater for up to 1,000 people. <> Called The Point, the

Barr Limited, the Paisley-based construction company, has been appointed by Fife Council as the main building contractor for the £17m refurbishment of Carnegie Leisure Centre in Dunfermline. Work at the facility, which will undergo an internal and external renovation as part of the revamp, will form part of the council's wider £50m scheme to improve leisure facilities in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. Plans for the upgraded Carnegie Leisure Centre include

Detailed designs for the London 2012 Athletes' Village, which will be used to provide affordable housing for Londoners in legacy mode, have been unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The plans include the construction of 11 residential blocks, which will offer a total of 17,000 beds for athletes during the Games, as well as open recreational space incorporating a jogging area and a Central Park area based on a

Abbeydale tennis club in Sheffield has undergone a £1.5m redevelopment. Work included the refurbishment of all eight courts, four of which are indoors, and the building of a new clubhouse designed by the Yorkshire-based architects Wildblood Macdonald. The facilities in the new clubhouse include changing rooms, refreshment facilities for members, a licensed bar, café, roof terrace and function room for special events. The revamp was funded by a £1m grant

Bristol City Football Club (BCFC) has submitted detailed plans for the construction of a new £65m stadium at Ashton Vale, as well as outline proposals for a mixed-use scheme on surrounding land. Plans for the new 30,000-seat venue have been drawn-up following three sets of public consultation with local residents and stakeholders, and include the potential to add a further 12,000 seats as part of Bristol's bid to be a

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced that construction work on the new London 2012 White Water Canoe Centre in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, is now underway. Morrison Construction has been appointed to build the new 10-hectare (24.7-acre) facility, which will host canoe slalom events during the 2012 Games before becoming a canoeing and white-water rafting venue for the local community in legacy mode. Facilities at the venue will include an Olympic-standard,

Billingham Forum has closed to the public in order to allow construction work on a £15m refurbishment scheme to get underway at the leisure complex, which is expected to last for 18 months. Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) and operator Tees Active are working in partnership on the revamp, which will include a six-lane, 25m swimming pool with a new training pool and existing learner pool and structural improvements to the

Plans for a £187m leisure and public services complex in Wigan, Greater Manchester, have been given the green light after the local authority reached an agreement with private sector partners. Construction work on the new Wigan Life Centre, which will be located on the site of the former Wigan International Pool, is expected to get underway in early July after Wigan Council's project team secured a deal with the Access

Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) has appointed VolkerFitzpatrick, the Dutch-owned construction company, to deliver the £11m refurbishment of Leatherhead Leisure Centre in Surrey. Construction work got underway on the 22-month scheme in April after the council approved plans drawn-up by A+G Architects, which include a new 438.6sq m (4,721sq ft) fitness suite incorporating 100 stations and a 343.4sq m (3,696sq ft) soft play area. A new, outdoor multi-use games area,

Plans for the London 2012 International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC) have been given the green light by the Olympic Park Planning Committee. The decision means that Wolverhampton-based contractor Carillion can start construction work on the main structure of the two new buildings within the next few weeks, with work already underway on the IBC and MPC's foundations following the earlier approval of a previous planning application.