Manchester City Council has revealed plans for a national home for both speedway and basketball, as part of the £10m Belle Vue Sports Village development. It will offer new sports facilities for the community and elite athletes alike, while also modernising the existing Belle Vue Leisure Centre. A purpose-built 6,500-capacity speedway will provide the Belle Vue Aces with their own home allowing them to hold weekend meets, which will strengthen

Tipton Leisure Centre has opened its doors to the public, at a formerly vacant site on Alexandra Road. Facilities at the centre include a 25m six-lane pool, a 12.5m teaching pool, a dance studio and a fully equipped 54-station gym that overlooks the centre's pool. Sandwell Leisure Trust will manage the new centre, which was designed by Sandwell Urban Design Architects - the council's in-house service. Construction was led by

Leading architects, planners and city experts are in London this week to attend Fit Cities-Fit World - a conference organised to look at the role design and planning have in ensuring cities have healthy and active populations. Held at City Hall, the conference will examine and build on what was learned as a result of major infrastructure and urban developments created for the London 2012 Games, including Queen Elizabeth Park

A legal challenge to prevent Oxford City Council closing a public swimming pool so a £9.2m replacement can be built has been dropped, following the High Court’s rejection of the claim the community had not been properly consulted. Councillor Van Coulter, member for the council’s leisure board, said he was glad the “costly and time consuming” case – launched in October 2011 – was over. The council plans to operate

Belfast communities are being consulted this week regarding opportunities to improve local sport and leisure facilities in tandem with the development of Windsor Park and Casement Park. Northern Ireland sports minister Caral Ni Chuilin has pledged £130m to sport developments in the city, including the two stadia. Belfast City Council is consulting residents on opportunities to provide public leisure facilities in both stadia, a welcoming boulevard style entrance to Windsor

Nottingham City Council has granted permission for the demolition of the city’s former Turkish Baths, built in 1928, to make way for a new link road. The application for demolition has now been referred to the secretary of state for a decision, with work to start in summer if it is given the go ahead. The baths are currently vacant but had been part of the Victoria Leisure Centre before

Wyre Forest District Council has appointed S&P Architects to draw up outline plans for a new £10.1m leisure centre in the Worcestershire district, which will provide a cost-effective alternative to existing facilities. A council review into leisure provision in the region determined a new centre would save the council around £7.5m in maintenance costs over 30 years. Council cabinet member for community wellbeing Ian Hardiman said: "The district deserves a

Local Scottish authority Dumfries and Galloway Council will take court action against contractor Kier Northern over a number of problems with the DG One leisure centre, which opened in 2008 at a cost of £17m. A detailed report by independent technical experts found the cost of addressing defects in the gym, games hall, bar, swimming pool and changing village would total £3.7m. At its policy and resources committee meeting on

Construction firm Willmott Dixon are working with South Tyneside Council in the early development stages of a new £11m leisure centre in Hebburn. The new centre is being developed by the council and forms part of a masterplan to regenerate the town centre. The leisure hub will comprise a 25m, six-lane swimming pool as well as a learner pool, sports hall, dance studio, library and customer service facilities. Construction on

Lancashire private fitness and leisure facility Crow Wood, Burnley, has opened its doors to around 1,200 people keen to get a preview of their new £4m spa development. The Woodland Spa is expected to open in the next couple of weeks but tours have been held to showcase the development. Treatments on offer include a hydrotherapy pool, serenity pool, sauna, hot tubs, Roman foot baths, ice fountain, experience showers, Rasul

Essex construction firm Mulalley has been confirmed as the preferred contractor for the new Atherton Leisure Centre, Stratford, UK. Newham Council is investing £14.7m in the centre, which will include swimming pools, a gym, crèche facilities, disabled facilities, and possibly some housing. It will replace the existing leisure centre, which was found to contain significant amounts of asbestos and closed its doors for the last time on 31 December. Construction

Barr construction will begin work on a new £9.5m leisure centre in Witham, Essex in spring 2013. The building contract was awarded by Braintree District Council (BDC) who is funding the Witham Leisure Centre. The centre, designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects, will replace the Bramston Sports Centre and is set to open in summer 2014. Located adjacent Bramston Sports Centre, the new centre will include a six-lane swimming pool and

Designs for a contemporary leisure centre, in Grimsby, were unveiled by North East Lincolnshire Council yesterday. The £8.4m Grimsby Leisure Centre will feature a hi-tech two storey wall of glass to create a shop window for sport. Award winning architects, Faulknerbrowns, have come up with the vision, which includes a 25m competition pool, an easy access learner pool, a 60 station gym, a fitness studio, and sauna. Cllr Mick Burnett,

Kirklees Council has appointed BAM Construction as the preferred contractor for the new multi-million pound Huddersfield Sports Centre which will be built on Spring Grove car park in Springwood, Huddersfield. The new facility will replace the existing Southgate sports centre, which is coming to the end of its life and will close once the new centre is up and running. BAM has been successful in meeting stage one of a

A new £7.8m leisure centre is set to open in Gosport in December. The centre will replace the Holbrook recreation Centre on Fareham Road and will be operated by DC Leisure. The development which is been carried out by Wilmott Dixon contractors will feature a swimming pool and learner pool as well as a sauna and steamroom. The centre will also house a sports hall, 70 station health and fitness

A new leisure centre is set to open in Hinckley, Leicestershire by March 2015. The centre will feature a main 25m pool with six lanes and a learner pool. It will also house a sports hall with six badminton courts, a health and fitness facility with 100 stations, two dance studios / multi-purpose rooms, a climbing wall and a health suite. The centre will be located in Argents Mead, which

£16.1m Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park has been officially launched on the former site of the St Thomas Becket School in Huyton, Merseyside. Part of the centre has been open for 12 months but now all facilities are open including the new outdoor velodrome and BMX track. The new facility includes two 25m lane pools, an eight-lane competition pool, six-court sports hall, fitness suite, squash court and dance studios. There

A new £16m swimming pool and leisure complex is set to open in South Shields, Tyne and Wear in early 2013. The Pier Parade project is part of South Tyneside Council's regeneration plans. It was designed by LA architects and is being built by Graham construction. It will feature a 25m, eight-lane competition pool; an 18m teaching pool and leisure waters with flumes; sprays; bubble pools and water play. The

A new environmentally friendly spa and leisure centre is set to open at Portavadie Marina in Loch Fyne, Scotland by the end of 2014. Architects Stewart Associates has been appointed to design the centre, which will be powered using local sustainable technology. The project, still in the planning stages, is expected to include spa facilities, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a gym, an exercise studio and a soft play area.

Image: Work on the complex began in June 2012 The £18m Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury, West Midlands is on track to open in August 2013, despite delays in construction work due to poor weather conditions over the summer months. The centre will replace the Oldbury Leisure Centre in Sandwell. Facilities will include a sports hall, hydrotherapy pool, a gym and weights area and dance studio. There will also be

Plans for an £11m leisure centre and swimming pool in West Bromwich are underway following the signing of a contract between Sandwell Council and DC Leisure. DC Leisure will design, build, manage and maintain the town centre complex, due to open in summer 2014. The leisure centre will have a 25m pool with a learner pool, a sauna and steamroom, a four-court sports hall, a 100-station fitness suite, two dance

Former US President Bill Clinton and Giorgio Napolitano, the President of Italy, will be at the opening of the Technogym Village on 29 September 2012, along with 800 other guests from more than 60 countries. The new company headquarters in Cesana represents the first Wellness Campus in the world with 60,000 m sq of covered spaces spread across the 150,000 m sq site. The Technogym Village is designed to be

A new and improved leisure centre is set to replace the ageing Scartho Swimming Pool in Grimsby by 2014. North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) has approved plans for the new facility which will include an eight-lane, 25m pool, a separate learning pool and a heath and fitness club. As part of the council's commitment to build a legacy following the 2012 Games, local disability groups have been consulted about the

Image: Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock with pupils from Sydenham School at the reopened pool Forest Hill Pools leisure centre in Lewisham, South London has reopened following an £8.9m redevelopment of its facilities. Designed by Roberts Limbrick Architects and built by Willmott Dixon, the venue is owned by Lewisham Council and operated by Fusion Lifestyle. The improved facilities at the centre now include a 25m swimming pool with spectator

Image: Plans include a new pool at Garstang Wyre Council has backed plans to invest £7.4m in the borough's leisure centres. The improvements will include the creation of an extreme sports facility at Thornton Leisure Centre, a luxury day spa facility and dance studio at Poulton Leisure Centre and an upgraded centre and new swimming pool at Garstang leisure centre. The plans follow a comprehensive review of leisure provision, which

Image: The revamp has been designed by Capita Symonds Plans to restore the historic Ynysangharad Lido at the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, Pontypridd, Wales, have received a major boost in the form of a £2.3m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The grant will be used to restore and reopen the Grade II-listed lido and will also help visitors learn about its history. The refurbishment works - designed by

A joint venture between ISG and Trebor Developments has been appointed by Greenwich Leisure (GLL) to design, develop and construct five leisure centres for London Borough of Waltham Forest. The five projects, which will consist of refurbishments, extensions and new build leisure centres, will see the leisure provision in Waltham Forest transformed over the next two and a half years with a capital value in order of £26m, funded by