A new four-star Novotel hotel will open on 29 September in Paddington, London, as part of the second phase of a three-part mixed-use development called PaddingtonCentral. The development is part of an 80-acre regeneration project for the area, which began in 1998 and is being led by Paddington Waterside Partnership. The second phase of PaddingtonCentral, being built on Kingdom Street, is a joint venture between Development Securities, Morley Fund Management

A new leisure development in Louth, Lincolnshire, is set to be powered by renewable energy sources. East Lindsey District Council has confirmed that a number of cost-effective energy-saving measures are being incorporated into the new Wood Lane Leisure Centre. Work on the new £11m facility has already begun, and will include measures such as rainwater harvesting and automatic pool hall lighting control. A report, prepared for the council by the

The Arena Leisure Centre in Camberley, Surrey, is to undergo a £1.7m refurbishment. The project is the result of a partnership between the centre's owners, Surrey Heath Borough Council, and management company DC Leisure, which operates the site on behalf of the council. Work on the four-phase refurbishment will begin at the end of the summer, and includes the updating of centre's fitness facilities, as well as improvements to accessibility.

Work on the £4m refurbishment of William Penn Leisure Centre in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, has been delayed due to a dispute between the client - Three Rivers District Council - and Gee Construction. The aim of the project, which began in March 2007, is to expand and revamp aging facilities to cater for rising visitor numbers. The improvements to the centre were expected to be completed by summer 2008, but the

Spanish health club chain Metropolitan has opened a new 4m euro (US$6.3, £3.2m) sports, health and wellness centre in the city of Vigo in the Spanish region of Galicia. Located on the top floor of the new A Laxe Shopping Centre, facilities at the 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) club include a 500sq m (5,382sq ft) fitness suite equipped by Life Fitness, a swimming pool and a spa area offering a

Leisure trust Tone Leisure has appointed Alliance Leisure to fund and project manage the redevelopment of three of its managed sites. The regeneration work will see facilities improved at the Wellington Sports Centre in Wellington and the Wellsprings Leisure Centre and Blackbrook Pavilion in Taunton. All three sites are expected to reopen to the public later this year. Wellington Sports Centre will be the first project to finish at the

Public voting for the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects, is now open until 4 July. The awards are split into seven categories – arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sports and charity – and each category features 10 projects. The three projects that receive the most votes, either online or by telephone, will progress through to the final round of voting, which will

The new £2.6m sports centre at Bassingbourn Village College has opened to the public. The new facility includes a multi-purpose indoor sports court, an all-timber gym floor and integrated dance space and a dance bar. Other amenities at the centre, designed by architects Pick Everard, include an all-weather pitch, reception and office area, and separate changing facilities for outdoor and indoor users. Building work featured a number of energy-efficient measures,

Southmead Development Trust has completed a renovation worth just under £2m at its Greenway Centre in Bristol. The project saw the creation of a new structure designed by Childs and Sulmann Partners, with a fitness suite featuring over 30 pieces of cardio and strength equipment from Pulse Fitness, including the Freedom and Evolve ranges. The suite also contains freeweight equipment and 11 group cycles. Much of the equipment is IFI-accredited,

Shane Westley, managing director of the 25 Club in London’s Mayfair has hinted that the exclusive health club’s owners might be looking to expand the brand into Europe. In an interview with Leisure Management (Issue 3 2008, pp.24-26), Westley said that while the short-term goal for the club is to establish itself in the capital, he would like to see the concept being introduced at other major cities. “Over the

East Cambridgeshire District Council has announced plans to develop a £11.5m leisure centre in Ely and is in negotiations with a number of leisure management firms to secure a 25-year design, build and manage partnership. The scheme has been developed following advice from consultants Strategic Leisure. The development will be funded through council reserves, section 106 funding and income from possible commercial developments on the site. Strategic Leisure has suggested

Plans have been submitted for a joint venture between five Liverpool councils to fund a £8.2m sports centre --and library in Maghull, Merseyside. Contributions will come from Sefton Borough Council, Maghull Town Council, Lydiate Parish Council, Melling Parish Council and Sefton Parish Council. The new centre will be built adjoining to Maghull Town Hall. The planned facility would house a five lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool and fitness

Harrow Council has unveiled plans to build one of the most environmentally friendly leisure centres in the country. The eco-friendly plans for the £37.2m centre include reclaiming 800 cubic metres of rainwater per year from the roof, enough to fill the 25m swimming pool twice over, and harnessing outgoing warm air from the swimming pool, reducing the cost of heating the building by 75 per cent. The council also plans