Northern Ireland environment minister Alex Attwood has granted planning permission for a new £100m (US$157m, EUR118m) golf resort development on the North Antrim coast. Located near the villages of Bushmills and Portballintrae, Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa will incorporate a 120-bedroom hotel with conference and spa facilities when complete. An 18-hole championship golf course; a golf academy; a three-hole practice facility; and 75 guest suites/lodges are also included in

A new 38-station gym equipped by Life Fitness and exercise studios have become the first facilities to open to the public as part of a refurbished leisure centre in the City of London. Fusion Lifestyle has overseen the renovation of Golden Lane Sport and Fitness on behalf of the City of London Corporation, with Cartwright Pickard Architects behind designs for the Grade II-listed site. A range of new classes have

Regent Hotels and Resorts has been appointed to operate the first hotel to be built as part of the Porto Montenegro marina destination in Montenegro, which is due to open in 2014. The property, which will have 34 guestrooms and 46 serviced residences, has been designed by ReardonSmith Architects in keeping with the style of houses along the Adriatic coastline. Located on the Boka waterfront with the Venice Square Basin

Createability has started work on a new "nightclub-style" club in Swindon for budget chain Kiss Gyms, which is due to open in April. The 14,500sq ft (1,347sq m) club is housed in a former bank and is to become the group's second 24-hour location, following the 2011 launch of its first site in Milton Keynes. A 13-week build process has now started at the building, which will comprise a 150-station

Camden Council has revealed that operator Greenwich Leisure (GLL) is to run a proposed new sports facility to be built as part of a new development in Kings Cross, London. GLL already operates leisure facilities across the London borough on behalf of the council but has now agreed to add the new centre to its portfolio when it opens in 2014. A 25m swimming pool and 'lagoon' fun pool; a

Kier Construction has started work on a £2.6m worth of improvements to leisure facilities at Marl Pits in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, on behalf of Rossendale Borough Council (RBC). Part of a wider £5.6m local authority investment in local provision, the Marl Pits project will widen the range of sports on offer at the venue and enhance the swimming pool. Four five-a-side football pitches and a gym with 45-stations also form part

Assael Architecture has unveiled its vision for the future of Dreamland Margate in Kent as part of a public inquiry into whether the local authority can compulsorily purchase the site. The London-based practice has worked up plans to protect and reuse a Grade II*-listed cinema and scenic railway as part of a housing scheme that aims to attract investment for the project. A cultural and amusement hub will be at

A design team has been selected for the renovation and expansion of the Kimball Art Center in Utah, US, which is home to Sundance House during the annual Sundance Film Festival. Denmark-based BIG and US-based Architectural Nexus will lead the team that also includes Dunn Associates, VBFA, Envision Engineering and Big D on the proposed scheme. Work is due to commence on the project in mid-2013, with the project to

British long jump record holder Chris Tomlinson has joined Reigate and Bansted Borough Council's (RBBC) Brian Stead to officially open the new £9m Horley Leisure Centre. The centre, which opened to the public last month, was designed by S&P Architects and has been built on the site of the former Court Lodge School to replace the Horley Anderson Centre. Netherlands-based Pellikaan Construction delivered the building, with facilities including a 25m,

The new 1,608-bedroom JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will become one of the world's tallest hotels at a height of 355m (1,164ft) when it opens this year in the United Arab Emirates. Due to launch during the fourth quarter, the new property is just 26m (85ft) shorter when compared with the Empire State Building in New York, US, and will open in two phases. Facilities will include the 1,500sq m (16,146sq

A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of work on a GBP28m redevelopment of the Everyman theatre in Liverpool, which has been designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects. The Everyone for the Everyman project will include the creation of a 400-seat auditorium; a new creative hub for writers; rehearsal space; and improved front-of-house facilities. A dedicated space for schools and community groups will also be established at the theatre, which is

A special event has taken place in Leeds to mark the start of construction work on the city's new GBP27m Holt Park Active leisure, wellbeing and adult social care complex. The government confirmed final approval for the project last December, with the work being funded through a Private Finance Initiative. The centre is due to open in December 2013. Mentor, a partnership comprising FaulknerBrowns Architects and GHM Rock Townsend, designed

Historic Scotland has confirmed that six Scottish cities are to receive a share of GBP7.69m over the next three years as part of efforts to safeguard and enhance areas of conservation. Glasgow (GBP2.55m) and Edinburgh (GBP2.145m) have secured the largest slice of funding, with Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirling each receiving GBP750,000 from the agency. Scottish culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "It is vital that we continue to improve the

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, is planning a comprehensive revamp of the four-block-long plaza alongside its iconic Fifth Avenue facade in downtown Manhattan. New fountains are to be installed closer to the attraction's front steps to replace ones built in the 1970s as part of the scheme, with the plaza to feature tree-shaded alles. The renovation will be funded by museum trustee and philanthropist David H

Lambeth Council has announced the launch of a new leisure centre in south London, which forms part of a wider GBP80m regeneration scheme being carried out in Clapham. The complex has been designed by LA Architects and has been developed through a public-private partnership with the Cathedral Group and United House at no cost to the council. Located on Clapham Manor Street, the centre includes a six-lane, 25m swimming pool

Bolton One, a new GBP31m health, leisure and research complex developed by Bolton Council in partnership with NHS Bolton and the University of Bolton, has opened to the public. Nightingale Associates' Liverpool office has designed the venue, which has been built by Eric Wright Group and incorporates a 70-station gym equipped by Life Fitness. A 25m swimming pool with seating for 250 spectators; a hydrotherapy pool for people with disabilities;

Members of Swindon Borough Council's (SBC) cabinet are to discuss proposals for a new GBP65m leisure development put forward by Moirai Capital Investments on 15 February. Plans for the transformation of the Wiltshire town's North Star site include a refurbishment of the existing Oasis Leisure Centre, together with an indoor ski slope and a waterpark. An indoor arena, a hotel and other leisure amenities are also proposed as part of

Cardiff's Sherman Cymru has opened its doors to the public for the first time in two years, following the completion of a major GBP6.5m refurbishment of the arts venue. Jonathan Adams of Capita Symonds, the man who designed Wales Millennium Centre and the WJEC building, was the architect behind the redevelopment of the theatre. Work has included a new exterior and a foyer that has undergone a complete overhaul. The

Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has confirmed that funding is now in place for work to commence on the new Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre near Stirling this summer. On a visit to Stirling Castle, Salmond said building and landscaping work will commence in early summer, with the preservation of the site's historic monuments also due for this year. Edinburgh-based architects Reiach and Hall led the team behind designs for

Construction work has started on a £7.5m refurbishment and extension of a 1940s property in Greenwich, London, which will house a new 145-bedroom hotel when complete. Assael Architecture have designed the project, which involves the transformation of Maurice Drummond House - once used for residential, Metropolitan Police and student purposes. Work will protect and upgrade the existing base building and will also preserve the Catherine Grove portico, as well as

A new stadium will be built as part of the wider regeneration of Tottenham, North London, following a pledge by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) and Haringey Council. The club, which had been eyeing a move to the Olympic Stadium, recently delisted from the London Stock Exchange to help raise funding for its Northumberland Development Project. THFC and Haringey Council will now work together to bring about the regeneration of

Northern Ireland-based developer, the Benmore Group, has been given the green light for a £50m leisure-led mixed-use development in the Speke/Garston district of Liverpool. Liverpool City Council approved planning permission for the scheme, which incorporates a multiplex cinema; commercial units featuring restaurants and bars; and a 78-bedroom hotel. Outline permission has also been secured for two additional hotels - 120 and 78 bedrooms respectively - and a pub/restaurant as part

Wandsworth Council has announced that it has received a planning application for a mixed-use redevelopment of the Market Towers office building in Nine Elms, London. A hotel and a public square with shops, restaurants and cafés are planned as part of the One Nine Elms scheme, which has been designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. CIT and Green Properties are behind the plans, which will complement a number of projects

London's Photographers' Gallery is to reopen on 19 May, following the completion of its £8.9m development project designed by Ireland-based O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects. The transformation of the photography attraction has included the addition of a two-storey extension, which has doubled the size of the available exhibition space at the Soho venue. A new environmentally-controlled floor now enables the Photographers' Gallery to display more work from its archives, while top

Canada-based WhiteWater West has signed a US$22m (£14m, EUR16.8m) contract with Lotte World for the development of a new waterpark at Kimhae near Busan, South Korea. It is one of the waterpark industry's largest contracts and will see Whitewater manufacture, engineer and install 100 per cent of the attraction's indoor and outdoor experiences. Lotte World Waterpark is due to open in May 2013 and will feature rides such as the

Talon International Development has opened the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto in Canada today (31 January). Facilities at the hotel include the 15,000sq ft Quartz Crystal Spa which will be located on the 31st floor of the hotel, featuring 10 treatment rooms. The spa has two couples suites, infrared saunas; an indoor heated, salt-water infinity pool and a movement studio; as well as a health club and group exercise

Sweden-based spa consulting firm Raison d'Etre has launch its new LivNordic spa brand, which has been developed by the company to "embrace all aspects of Nordic wellness". The concept has been unveiled at the flagship Grand Hôtel Nordic Spa and Fitness venue in Stockholm and comprises Scandinavian-inspired design, health and Nordic fitness. Nutrition, beauty, products and bathing form part of the LivNordic experience, which is now to be marketed by