Plans for the construction of a new £3.1m sports hall at Wellsway School, Keynsham, have been rejected by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES). Facilities at the Boyes Rees Architects-designed complex would include a large sports hall; a dance studio; a fitness suite with free weights; changing areas; and teaching space. The reprovision of tennis courts and cricket nets also formed part of the scheme, which was refused planning

Work on a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme at Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock, Staffordshire, is to get underway in April. Cannock Chase District Council (CCDC) has appointed Derby-based GF Tomlinson as its main contractor for the scheme, following the completion of a tender process. Due for completion in 2012, the scheme will include a 25m competition-standard swimming pool with boom and moveable floor; a 150-station fitness suite; and a dance

Rotherham United Football Club (RUFC) has unveiled its final plans for a new 12,000-seat stadium on the town's former Guest and Chrimes foundry site. Designed by S&P Architects, the stadium scheme will be project managed by Gleeds and is to be delivered by GMI Construction. Under the plans for the stadium, the west stand will accommodate exhibition and banqueting facilities for a combined total of 600 guests, as well as

Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) has announced that S&P Architects chief executive officer Keith Ashton has been named chair of its Sports Working Group. Ashton – a contributor to policy and thinking at BISL over the past few years – will succeed David Teasdale, who is the new executive chair of the organisation. Teasdale said: "Keith brings to this important BISL post a breadth of vital experience and creative

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is to begin exclusive discussions with property company Almacantar over a planned 300,000 sq ft (27,870sq m) residential scheme at the Nursery End of Lord's cricket ground, along Wellington Road. Keith Bradshaw, secretary and chief exective of MCC said: "We are delighted to have selected Almacantar. We have been impressed with the quality of their submission, which demonstrates a high degree of inventive thinking; something entirely

Bristol City Football Club's (BCFC) plans to develop a new multi-million pound stadium at Ashton Vale could be dealt a fresh blow by the local authority. Local planning officers have recommended that a proposal for a new supermarket on the site of the club's current Ashton Gate ground be refused by councillors. Sainsbury's is looking to relocate from its Winterstoke Road store in order to help fund the new Populous-designed

Aberdeen Football Club (AFC) has been given the green light to proceed with proposals for a new 21,000-seat stadium on land near Loirston Loch. Aberdeen City Council's full council voted 23-17 in favour of approving the scheme, which will now go before the Scottish Government for consideration. The 39.5-acre (16-hectare) development - due for completion ahead of the 2013-14 season - will also feature car parking, landscaping and access arrangements.

Plans for a new £31m leisure and community facility in Redcar have received the support of local residents, following a public exhibition and consultation. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) is proposing a purpose-built venue as part of the scheme, which will feature a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and leisure pool. A dance hall and performance space; a fitness suite and junior gym; and business space for small-to-medium enterprises are

Denbighshire County Council has secured £1.17m from the Welsh Assembly Government towards the redevelopment of Rhyl's Apollo Cinema. New seating, fully 3D-enabled auditoria and improved digital technology are to be provided as part of the EWA Architects-designed scheme, which will also rejuvenate the surrounding area. Public areas of Apollo Cinema will be upgraded to boast concession outlets, while two new terraces will be created and made available to the public.

Lewisham Council has announced that work has commenced on the construction of a new leisure centre in Forest Hill, South London. Willmott Dixon has been appointed to build the Roberts Limbrick-designed facility, which will occupy the site of the former Forest Hill Pools and is due to open in late 2012. A 25m main swimming pool; a 16.7m learner pool; a fitness gym; two studios; a café; and a community

The City of York Council (CYC) has approved plans for a new £9m sports complex as part of a wider expansion of the University of York's Heslington East campus. York Sports Village will feature a competition-standard eight-lane, 25m swimming pool and a learner pool; a 100-station gym; and a full-size 3G astroturf pitch. Three further five-a-side football pitches are also planned as part of the new Space Architects-designed complex, which

An image of how the new Mary Rose Museum will look when it opens in autumn 2012 has been unveiled by the Mary Rose Trust (MRT) and architects Pringle Brandon. Located at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the new attraction will feature a walkway that will enable visitors to view the hull of Henry VIII's former flagship. Work on the preservation of the ship's structure will enter its final stage later this

A new US$5m (£3.1m) wing has been unveiled at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida, US. The attraction - home to a 'comprehensive' collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany materials - has received a 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) extension as part of the scheme. Long-term public access will now be provided to the restored Daffodil Terrace from Louis Comfort's Long Island home at Laurelton Hall.

Plans for the multi-million pound extension of the Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester have been awarded £8m by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The £12m MUMA-designed scheme will see the attraction's public space doubled in size, which will open up 396sq m (4,263sq ft) of new gallery space. A new North Wing will house a landscape gallery, exhibiting Whitworth Art Gallery's most important artworks, as well as

Georgia Aquarium's newest and biggest addition - its sixth permanent gallery - is to open on 2 April. A US$110m (£68m), three-year project, AT&T Dolphin Tales focuses on creating a greater understanding of dolphins, traditionally the most-requested animal by visitors to the aquarium. Incorporating a number of different spaces, the new PGAV Destinations-designed gallery includes an entrance lobby featuring a 25ft (7.6m) underwater viewing window. The lobby leads to the

A new 6,000-seat velodrome has become the first 2012 Games-time venue at London's Olympic Park to be completed. Work on the VeloPark started in March 2009 and will be host to indoor cycling and BMX competitions at the London Games. Members of the Team GB cycling team took to the track to mark the occasion, with the new velodrome to be handed over to Olympic organisers for the installation of

North Somerset Council (NSC) has awarded the exclusive rights to develop the Tropicana site in Weston-super-Mare to the Nightingale Group. The developer has secured exclusivity status for a six-month period, although the council's procurement process will continue in line with European Union regulations. Nightingale Group - working with FaulknerBrowns Architects, Serco and DTZ - proposes a new indoor adventure water park with children's play pool, leisure waters and rides. An

Gateshead Council has announced that Dunston Leisure Centre is to reopen to the public on 11 April, following a multi-million pound refurbishment. S&P Architects are behind the design of the 12-month revamp, which included the provision of a new gym and two studios alongside improved swimming facilities. Dunston Leisure Centre's steamroom, sauna, and squash court access have also undergone a series of improvements, along with changing rooms and the building's

Birmingham City Football Club (BCFC) has unveiled new visions of how its St Andrew's stadium could look in future if it is redeveloped. GMI Constructions in conjunction with WCEC Architects; Populous and Buckingham; and Jak Design have all devised proposals for a potential revamp of the venue. According to the Premier League club, the redevelopment of St Andrew's could be the most "financially prudent option" with average attendances of less

BBC Worldwide has launched the Doctor Who Experience at London Olympia Two in West London. The main element of the family attraction will be an immersive, timed dark walk experience where visitors will become involved in their very own Doctor Who adventure. The 'show', which has been devised with input from Doctor Who executive producer and show runner Steven Moffat, will feature spectacular special effects and exclusively filmed footage. Visitors

De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester will invest in a new £8m leisure centre designed by S&P Architects. Plans to build the centre were given the final go-ahead by the university's Finance and HR Committee and approved by the Board of Governors today (18 February). The Leicester City Council's planning authority had given planning approval for the project at its committee meeting on 18 January 2011. The two-storey building, which

Doncaster deputy mayor Patricia Schofield is to open a new sports facility at Cantley Park on 24 February. A multi-use games area and grass football pitches will be provided at the venue, in addition to a pavilion with eight changing rooms, a referees room and a community room. Sustainable features have been incorporated into the construction of the building, including high-efficiency condensing boilers and air source heat pumps. The facility

A large indoor destination snow resort could be created on the site of the 2012 media complex in the heart of London's Olympic Park. Acer Snowmec has announced that it has submitted an expression of interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for the Snow in the City mixed-use development. A development consortium team - led by ASL Developments - has chosen Gensler to draw up plans for the

A groundbreaking ceremony is to be held on 18 February to mark the start of construction work on the new multi-million pound Leeds Arena. BAM Construction has been selected to build the Populous-designed venue, having already carried out preparatory work at the Claypit Lane site. When complete, the venue will be able to accommodate 13,500 spectators and is designed to ensure seats are no more than 68m (223ft) from the

Blackpool Council has reopened the resort's historic Winter Gardens to the public ahead of the February half term break, following a £1.25m overhaul. Conservation architects Donald Insall Associates have carried out restoration work on behalf of the council, which acquired the attraction in March 2010. The Grade II-listed building's Church Street entrance has been resorted as part of the work, along with improvements to the Rotunda and the Floral Hall.

Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has announced that a new entertainment venue currently being developed in the Surrey town is to be called G Live. The council's executive backed the proposal, which was drawn up as part of a workshop that examined a range of suggestions submitted by local residents. When complete, the Austin-Smith:Lord-designed venue will replace the town's former Civic Hall and will feature an auditorium with a capacity of

Ian Simpson Architects and de Rijke Marsh Morgan (dRMM) have been chosen to design the first phase of the £5.5bn Battersea Power Station development. Treasury Holdings UK, the developer behind the scheme, has confirmed that Rafael Viñoly will remain as architect-in-chief and will oversee the delivery of the site's overall regeneration. The first phase of the scheme will comprise more than 1 million sq ft (92,903sq m) of new building