Waverley Borough Council (WBC) has unveiled plans for the development of a new leisure centre in Godalming, Surrey. ISG has been appointed to deliver the £6m facility, which has been designed by Pozzoni and will feature a 25m swimming pool and a learner pool. A gym; a dance studio; and a café are also proposed as part of the development, which will replace the town's existing facility. Energy efficient measures

Ditchling Museum - an attraction in East Sussex housing a number of works by early 20th century artists - has received £835,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The grant will provide 34 per cent of the total cost of plans to revamp the museum and its collections, including the creation of new education spaces. A wider programme of activities, events and workshops are also planned, while the cart lodge

The shortlist of private sector organisations hoping to acquire and manage the Olympic Village after the 2012 Games has been announced. The nine groups – most of them partnerships – which will be invited to submit detailed financial proposals to The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are: • Delancey & Qatari Diar • Dorrington & Pinnacle Capital • Galliard Homes • Grainger plc & Moorfield Group • Hutchison Whampoa Limited •

Swan Leisure, a new Donnelly Turpin Architects-designed leisure centre in Rathmines, Dublin, has been officially unveiled by the local authority. John Paul Construction built the new complex on behalf of Dublin City Council, which forms part of the wider €36m (£30.5m) Rathmines Square development. Facilities include a 49-station gym equipped by Precor; a 25m x 12.5m swimming pool with moveable floor; a dance and fitness studio; and a meeting/spin studio.

Outline plans for the redevelopment of the 12.8-acre (5.2-hectare) Chelsea Barracks site in Westminster, London, have been submitted to the local authority. Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company - through its wholly-owned subsidiary Project Blue (Guernsey) - has lodged the proposals with Westminster Council. The mixed-use scheme aims to transform the former military barracks, which was closed to the public more than 150 years ago. Plans include a boutique hotel,

Plans for the development of a new £3.5m swimming pool and spa at Ramsgate Sports Centre, Kent, have been given the green light by councillors. Thanet District Council (TDC) has approved the project, which will be carried out by the local authority in partnership with Alliance Leisure. A new building will be built next to the existing centre to house a six-lane, 25m deck level pool, a training pool and

Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) has confirmed that contractor ASR will return to carry out improvements to an artificial surf reef unveiled last year. The multi-million pound reef - located 225m (738ft) off the coast at Boscombe, Dorset - came under fire in a report in May for producing the "wrong type of waves". An agreement between the council and ASR will now see the contractor return next spring to implement

Von Essen Hotels has completed the deal to acuire the Llangoed Hall Hotel in Brecon, Powys, Wales. Set in a building dating back to 1632, each of the Llangoed Hall Hotel's 23 bedrooms are individually designed by the late designer Laura Ashley, whose husband Sir Bernard Ashley created the country house hotel. Features include Ashley's Restaurant and Sir Bernard's private art collection with the hotel's Whistler room, which houses more

Margate's Turner Contemporary, a new £17.4m gallery dedicated to artist JMW Turner, has been officially handed over by Kent County Council (KCC). Construction work is now complete at the David Chipperfield-designed attraction, which been transferred over to the trust that will operate the venue. The handover comes after it was confirmed that Turner Contemporary will open its doors on 16 April 2011. R Durtnell and Sons has delivered the new

Developers interested in building a new leisure facility at Cotlandswick, Hertfordshire, are to submit their final bids to the local authority by the end of this week. St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) aims to appoint a preferred contractor in March 2011, with plans submitted as early as May. Drivers Jonas Deloitte are leading the council's project management and design team for the scheme, along with the redevelopment of

A new visitor attraction for families is preparing to open in Wuzhen, Tongxiang, in the northern Zhejiang province of China. Designed by Jack Rouse Associates (JRA), the attraction will occupy two existing buildings approximately 30,000sq ft in size and will feature a number of activities and educational zones. The key component of the project is a traditional games and play area, where children can learn about and play with toys

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission in Minneapolis, US, has confirmed that snowfall caused the inflatable roof on the city's Metrodome to deflate. Birdair, the company which manufactured and installed the roof, has already carried out an inspection of the structure to determine how long repair work will take. American Football team Minnesota Vikings was forced to move its fixture with New York Giants to Ford Field, Detroit following the incident.

Panama's newest boutique hotel, Las Clementinas Chambers, has opened today (14 December 2010). The hotel only has six 'over-sized' suites and is located in a fully-restored, historic 1930s property in Casco Viejo, the walled district near the Panama Canal - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The design and build of the hotel took more than three years. Conservatorio SA, the owner and operator of the hotel, sourced local architects and

Hotel and resort operator Hyatt has opened a 178-suite hotel in the Canyons Resort of Park City, Utah, US. Facilities at the Hyatt Escala Lodge include an after-ski area with steamroom, heated swimming pools, spa pools and a fitness zone. The hotel was developed by SDI Realty Group, a privately held real estate company based in Provo, Utah. The ski-in, ski-out condominium hotel property is located at the base of

The public are being given the chance to comment on Science Oxford's proposals for a £30m cultural centre for science and enterprise. Science Oxford has begun a public consultation with the view of securing the support of the local people for the scheme. Planned for the heart of Oxford, the centre is set to be built over the next five years. Plans for the centre include a digital planetarium, interactive

EPR Architects have gained planning permission for an eco-friendly hotel at the Bristol Airport. The 251-bedroom hotel will be located close to the terminal building and is designed to be sustainable, minimising the consumption of energy, materials and water through the selection of construction materials and technologies that minimise site wastage and that are locally sourced wherever possible. The ‘social heart’ of the hotel is the ground floor reception area

Discussions are taking place on plans to preserve HMS Ark Royal and keep the ship at the Royal Docks in east London. Under proposals being considered by the Major of London, the aircraft carrier would become a museum and visitor attraction similar to HMS Belfast, currently anchored in the River Thames near Tower Bridge. Built in 1981, Ark Royal is now in the process of being decommissioned as part of

Energy saving lighting will be installed in the guestrooms as part of a green makeover at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. All 608 rooms will be upgraded to offer a contemporary room concept featuring modern, eco-friendly technology. Rooms on 16 of the floors have been given a new layout and interior decor, with other improvements including white marble flooring and rain showers in bathrooms. The renovation's final phase, involving the remaining

The first new-build 2012 Olympic venue to be completed - the Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham Cross, Herfordshire - has been officially opened. HRH The Princess Royal unveiled the canoeing and rafting facilities at the venue, which will host canoe slalom events during the London Games. Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will own and operate the centre before and after the Olympics, with the public able to use

Wyre Borough Council (WBC) has approved plans for the construction of an observation tower at Rossall Point in Fleetwood, Lancashire. The scheme forms part of a £1.6m programme funded by the former Sea Change initiative and will replace an out-dated facility used by the National Coast Watch Initiative (NCI). Studio Three architects are behind the plans, which will include several viewing platforms, an education centre and a new home for

Construction company Willmott Dixon has started preparatory work on the site of a new leisure centre for Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The main-build phase of the KKA-designed scheme is due to start in early 2011, with the ground to be prepared for the foundations over the coming weeks. Facilities will include an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool and learner pool with a moveable floor; a sports hall; thermal and fitness suites; and

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a major £180m regeneration scheme in Canning Town, London. The 680,000sq ft (63,174sq m) Rathbone Market development will include 49,000sq ft (4,552sq m) of retail space and cafés and a new market square. Sisk has been appointed by English Cities Fund (ECF) to deliver the scheme, which will also include a 21-storey building to provide an 'iconic

Isle of Anglesey County Council (IACC) is to unveil a new masterplan on 11 December, which is designed to enhance coastal recreation provision at Rhosneigr. According to the council, the village's popularity with windsurfers, kite surfers and surfers from around the UK has caused access problems. IACC aims to work with residents and businesses to provide ne infrastructure in order to reduce 'potential conflict'. Jon Rowland Urban Design was appointed

An event on 8 December will allow the public to view plans for the regeneration of part of the historic Bletchley Park WW2 codebreaking site in Buckinghamshire into a museum and education resource. The Prince's Regeneration Trust (PRT) is project managing the scheme and envisages the restoration of buildings in several areas, including some of the huts in which the code breaking took place and which are now derelict. Elsewhere,

The Rezidor Hotel Group has revealed that the 138-room Hotel Missoni Belek, Antalya, Turkey is to open in 2013. The Hotel Missoni brand debuted in 2009, with each hotel being personally designed by Rosita Missoni of the Missoni fashion house. The first property opened in Edinburgh, Scotland, and others are under development in Kuwait, Oman and Brazil. Hotel Missoni Belek, Antalya - with 110 guestrooms and 28 villas - will

Plans for the £75,000 installation of new gates at the Grade II-listed Roker Pier in Sunderland have been given the green light. The project, designed by artist Fiona Herron, forms part of Sunderland City Council's (SCC) £1m bid to overhaul the seafronts of Roker and Seaburn. Scheduled to commence in March 2011, it is hoped the installation will improve the appearance of the pier. The design was chosen following an

A 200-bedroom, 22,000sq m luxury hotel is being planned for the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park in Abastumani, Georgia. Located on the southern slope of the Meskheti Range, the Aghobili Hotel has been designed by Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with consulting engineers Buro Happold. Aghoboli, which will integrate part of an existing hotel, will also boast conferencing facilities, a spa with mineral water pools and a swimming pool. Anders