The 19th century Clifton Victoria Baths in Bristol, one of the oldest Grade II-listed swimming pools in the UK, is due to reopen this October following an extensive £2m restoration project, which began October 2006. The lido will be operated by, Bristol-based restaurant group the Glass Boat Company, which has been working in collaboration with architects Marshall Kendon and English Heritage to upgrade the 885sq m facility. When complete, the

Three architecture firms are to work together to design the new US$140m (£72.5m, 92m euro) Omaha Baseball Stadium in Nebraska, US. Selected by Omaha mayor Mike Fahey in June, the three firms – Omaha-based HDR as architects and engineers, HOK Sport as design architect and DLR Group as associate architect – will collaborate on the stadium, which will become the home of the College World Series. HDR project principal, Bruce Carpenter,

The YES! project in Rotherham, billed as the largest covered leisure, entertainment and sports destination in Europe, has received the approval of the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. In a cabinet meeting, the council approved the development agreement between the council and developer Oak Holdings, which will see Oak take over a 250-year lease for a 327-acre (132-hectare) site in the town. The £350m YES! scheme is being created as the

A new leisure development in Louth, Lincolnshire, is set to be powered by renewable energy sources. East Lindsey District Council has confirmed that a number of cost-effective energy-saving measures are being incorporated into the new Wood Lane Leisure Centre. Work on the new £11m facility has already begun, and will include measures such as rainwater harvesting and automatic pool hall lighting control. A report, prepared for the council by the

Revised plans for the proposed Croydon Arena, part of the Croydon Gateway redevelopment in London, have been rejected by the communities secretary, Hazel Blears. The project, a partnership between developer Arrowcroft and the London Borough of Croydon, is one of two proposed regenerative developments for the 12.36 acre (5-hectare) site. The rejected plans, designed by Michael Aukett Architects, involved the construction of a new 12,500-seat indoor arena for sports, business

Plans for a new £30m main stand at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham have taken a step forward with the appointment of an engineering company. Mott MacDonald will provide all engineering services for Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC), including structural and mechanical services on a new 9,000-seat stand. It is part of redevelopment plans for the ground which will include the upgrade of catering, media and press facilities. The new

Londoners have been given their chance to redesign the Olympic Park after the 2012 Olympics. A month-long consultation held by the London Development Agency (LDA) toured locations across the city in June and July. Visitors to the consultation were given the chance to physically place houses, parks and other features on a large scale map of the East London site. Activities also included an interactive panel to prioritise the importance

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has published its annual report and accounts for the year 2007-8. In the report, the ODA reveals that it has made strong progress in meeting targets for delivering the 2012 games. Over the past twelve months, the ODA says it has delivered "virtually all" of its Dig, Demolish, Design: Milestones to Beijing strategy, with construction on the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Village and Aquatics Centre, starting

Lancaster City Council has given the go ahead for a new £20m sports centre to be built at the Lancaster University. To be built on the university's pavilion near to the rugby pitches, the new centre will be accessible to staff, students, schools, and the local community. Construction work is to begin in September 2008 with an opening date planned for spring 2010. Facilities at the centre include a 25m,

BRC Imagination Arts has been chosen to design a new sports experience centre in Heerenveen, Friesland, the Netherlands. BRC will work together with the client Sportstad Heerenveen BV, to design the centre, with the intention of engaging visitors through interactive and multi-media experiences. Called Sport Experience Heerenveen (SEH), the attraction will illustrate the history of sport with a particular emphasis on Friesland's sporting culture. When complete, SEH will feature themed

The Arena Leisure Centre in Camberley, Surrey, is to undergo a £1.7m refurbishment. The project is the result of a partnership between the centre's owners, Surrey Heath Borough Council, and management company DC Leisure, which operates the site on behalf of the council. Work on the four-phase refurbishment will begin at the end of the summer, and includes the updating of centre's fitness facilities, as well as improvements to accessibility.

Work on the £4m refurbishment of William Penn Leisure Centre in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, has been delayed due to a dispute between the client - Three Rivers District Council - and Gee Construction. The aim of the project, which began in March 2007, is to expand and revamp aging facilities to cater for rising visitor numbers. The improvements to the centre were expected to be completed by summer 2008, but the

Plans for Liverpool Football Club’s new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park have finally got the go-ahead following five-years in the planning. The £350m development, which includes other sports facilities, is expected to open in time for the 2011-2012 season. Lang O’Rourke has been appointed as the development’s engineers and has already begun to prepare the site for construction, which is due to begin this September. The stadium is designed by

Plans to build a £25m rugby stadium in St Helens, Merseyside, is due to receive approval from the Government Office for the North West this month following unanimous support from the St Helens Council Planning Committee. Langtree, the project’s developer and the site’s owner, proposes to construct an 18,000-capacity stadium with mixed seating and standing facilities, to replace the existing home for the St Helens Rugby League Club as part

The proposed Peak Resort development in Unstone, Derbyshire, has finally been given the go-ahead by Chesterfield Borough Council after 19 years in the planning. The project, estimated to cost around £300m to complete, is headed by Birchall Properties and is to be located within 121-hectares (300-acres) of green belt land adjacent to the River Drone. The development’s centerpiece will be a 312-metre domed structure, housing a 26-room hotel with spa

Construction has begun on the new £3.8m sports hall at Sportspark, the swimming and sports centre based at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. The new building – to be built in addition to the existing three-hall Barclays arena – will feature eight badminton courts, four basketball courts and four volleyball courts, as well as two lecture rooms for use by UEA, which is funding the project. The

Public voting for the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects, is now open until 4 July. The awards are split into seven categories – arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sports and charity – and each category features 10 projects. The three projects that receive the most votes, either online or by telephone, will progress through to the final round of voting, which will

Portsmouth Football Club and developers Sellar Property Group have unveiled new designs for a proposed 36,000-seater stadium on Horsea Island. The announcement comes after plans for a stadium on another site, The Hard, were scrapped in November following security concerns from the Royal Navy, which operates a base next to the site. If the planning application is approved, work on the project could begin in 2009 and construction of the

The new £2.6m sports centre at Bassingbourn Village College has opened to the public. The new facility includes a multi-purpose indoor sports court, an all-timber gym floor and integrated dance space and a dance bar. Other amenities at the centre, designed by architects Pick Everard, include an all-weather pitch, reception and office area, and separate changing facilities for outdoor and indoor users. Building work featured a number of energy-efficient measures,

Work on Altair, a £150m development aimed at rejuvenating the centre of Altrincham, in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is set to begin in 2009 for a 2012 completion. The project, which is a partnership between Nikal Property Development & Investment, David Mclean Group and Trafford Council, has been designed by architect Ian Simpson, and will include a 3,000-seat ice rink that will be home to the Manchester Phoenix ice hockey team.

Plans for a new 50,000-capacity stadium for Everton Football in Liverpool have been approved by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The £120m stadium is to form part of a £400m regeneration scheme, called Destination Kirkby, which will include new retail outlets, restaurants, a hotel and office space. Leader of Knowsley Council, Cllr Ron Round, said: “This scheme is an amazing opportunity to change the face of Kirkby forever. “It will create

Southmead Development Trust has completed a renovation worth just under £2m at its Greenway Centre in Bristol. The project saw the creation of a new structure designed by Childs and Sulmann Partners, with a fitness suite featuring over 30 pieces of cardio and strength equipment from Pulse Fitness, including the Freedom and Evolve ranges. The suite also contains freeweight equipment and 11 group cycles. Much of the equipment is IFI-accredited,

East Cambridgeshire District Council has announced plans to develop a £11.5m leisure centre in Ely and is in negotiations with a number of leisure management firms to secure a 25-year design, build and manage partnership. The scheme has been developed following advice from consultants Strategic Leisure. The development will be funded through council reserves, section 106 funding and income from possible commercial developments on the site. Strategic Leisure has suggested

Planning permission has been granted for Charlton Lido in Greenwich, London, to be redeveloped into an open-water scuba diving centre. The project will be privately funded by leisure and residential development firm Open Waters and is expected to cost between £8m and £10m. When complete, the four-storey dive centre will have a 22m-deep, 25m-dive pool, a gym, treatment rooms, exercise studios and a crèche. It will also include a restaurant,

Construction firm Sir Robert McAlpine is converting the dry slopes at Hemel Ski Centre in Bennetts End, Hertfordshire, into a £23m hub for indoor skiing and snowboarding. Called The Snow Centre, it will boast a 160m indoor ski slope – graded for all levels of experience, a100m nursery slope, large video screens that show winter sports, two drag lifts and a rope tow on the trainer slope. The centre will

Plans have been submitted for a joint venture between five Liverpool councils to fund a £8.2m sports centre --and library in Maghull, Merseyside. Contributions will come from Sefton Borough Council, Maghull Town Council, Lydiate Parish Council, Melling Parish Council and Sefton Parish Council. The new centre will be built adjoining to Maghull Town Hall. The planned facility would house a five lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool and fitness

A consortium of investors has submitted plans to Waterford County Council for a £104m (€150m) resort on the coast of Cahir near Tramore, south-east Ireland. The as yet unnamed resort project will be located in Islandikane, and will have an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course as its centrepiece, along with a period-style hotel with courtyard, health spa, bar, restaurant and function room. A clubhouse, leisure centre with various sports