A problem with the installation of fire dampers at the new £25m Leisurezone leisure complex in Harlow, Essex, has forced the opening of the facility to be put on hold. Forming part of the wider Harlow Gateway regeneration scheme, it had been hoped that Abingdon-based contractor Leadbitter would handover the venue to the Gateway partners by Christmas 2009. However, the latest estimate for the "practical completion" of the Leisurezone centre

Construction work has started on a £850,000 redevelopment of the Swan Centre for Leisure in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, which is to be delivered in three stages. The first phase of the scheme, which is being managed by operator Tees Active, will see Createability convert an existing 500sq m (5,382sq ft) soft play area into a new 65-station gym equipped with Technogym cv and resistance equipment. Scheduled for completion by January 2010,

East Northamptonshire Council (ENC) has announced it has reached an agreement with a local rugby club over the proposed site of a new £13m leisure centre in Rushden. Rushden and Higham Ferrers Rugby Club had voiced concerns that the Manor Park plans would result in the loss of its pitches, but ENC has now struck a deal with the club to provide two pitches as part of the scheme. ENC

Designers have been appointed for a new swimming pool project in Millom, Cumbria. Cambridge-based architects Saunders Boston have been awarded the contract for the facility, which will replace the town’s current pool at a local school. The project is the brainchild of the Millom and Haverigg Economic Development Group. Acting chair, Roland Woodward, was quoted by the North West Evening Mail, as saying: “This is the first major step forward

Westminster City Council (WCC) has confirmed that the Marshall Street baths in central London will reopen to the public in 2010. Redevelopment work on the site, which has been closed since 1997 due to safety fears, began in August 2008. The £25m revamp is being carried out by Marshall Street Regeneration company. SG Interior Exterior is acting as the construction manager for the project and it will continue to oversee

The University of Ulster is planning to build a £7.6m sports centre on its Coleraine campus. Architects GM design have been commissioned to design the project, which is to be built near to existing student residences. Professor Robert Hutchinson, provost of the campus, said: “The exciting project represents the largest single investment ever on the Coleraine campus for student support. “As well as enhancing our campus sports facilities, the new

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

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

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 £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

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.

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

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,

Fitness operator Club Company is investing £750,000 in the upgrading of its Nizels club in Kent. The revamp, which is designed to make the club more family friendly, will include a refurbishment of the Pulse Bar. A new 240sq m children's area will be added to the bar, while the club's crèche will also be enlarged and refurbished to double its current capacity. Club Company's chief executive, Thierry Delsol, said

Plans for the £58m Birmingham Aquatics and Leisure Centre have been revealed for public consultation. The proposals comprise a 50m swimming pool and an Olympic diving facility able to accommodate training sessions by visiting teams during the Olympics, as well as a leisure pool with rides and a teaching pool. A fitness suite will house exercise studios, saunas and steamrooms, while sports facilities on offer will include an eight-court sports

Boris Johnson's latest initiative to improve the lives of Londoners aims to boost the number of volunteers in the capital. Johnson said: "Volunteering is good for individuals and great for London in tough economic times. By giving your time, whether a one-off few hours or a regular commitment, we can both help to make the capital a more civilised, pleasant place and reap the rewards of putting something back into

Russian Fitness Group (RFG) opened its latest World Class health club - the 19th in the chain - in St Petersburg in April. Located on Krestovsky island, it's the operator's first luxury club. Built over three floors, the 3,800sq m club has an 800sq m gym with almost 12m-high ceilings. Facilities include group cycling and martial arts studios, both of which have panoramic windows looking out over the embankment. There's

Ribble Valley Council has approved proposals to improve Roefield Leisure Centre in Clitheroe. A £1.1m investment will provide a new fitness suite equipped with 46 stations of Life Fitness cardiovascular and resistance equipment with fully integrated screens and a VIVO connectivity system, dedicated to young people and the over-50s. It will also offer daily access to activities such as the Time Out Youth Activity Centre and the GP Exercise on

Top Notch Health Club in Chesham will soon feature a £500,000 underground swimming pool. General practitioners will be able to refer patients with disabilities to the new facility for fitness and rehabilitation sessions. Chiltern District Council approved the plans, submitted for the third time, by six votes to two. The previous two applications were rejected owing to concerns over Green Belt land and a lack of car parking spaces. The

The £6m refurbishment of the former Gillingham Leisure Centre in Gillingham, Dorset, has begun. The facility, a joint venture between North Dorset District Council and Three Rivers Partnership, has been designed by Shaftesbury-based architects Philip Proctor Associates. Once completed, the centre will be called RiversMeet Centre and be operated by a dedicated not-for-profit organisation set up by the Three Rivers Partnership. Being built by A Hammond and Sons, the centre

Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) has unveiled designs for a proposed £1.3m dual-use sports complex, which is to be established on the site of St Davids Swimming Pool in west Wales. The pool is to close on 7 June in order to make way for the new complex, which will include a four-court sports hall, a health and fitness suite with changing facilities and two further changing rooms for external use.

Local residents in Lowestoft, Suffolk, are being invited to put forward their views on plans to redevelop Waterlane Leisure Centre. A survey being carried out by Waveney District Council from 21 May to 30 June aims to determine what facilities and activities should be included in the two-storey extension to best meet the demands and needs of the local community. Council representatives will also attend community forum events in Lowestoft

A £2.8m development dubbed Rhondda Life will provide Ferndale in Wales with a new sports and leisure complex centered on the country's national sport. The four-year phased project will replace Ferndale Rugby Club with a new two-storey Rugby Club complete with an events pavilion and a fitness centre, complemented by a 20-bedroom, three-star hotel, bars, a restaurant featuring the history of Welsh rugby, a café and heritage suite and community