Cheltenham Art Gallery's development project has been awarded a first-round pass for a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £750,000. While the pass does not guarantee that the scheme will receive the money, it does mean the project has been judged as having potential. Jane Lillystone, museum & arts manager, said: "We are extremely delighted to have secured the HLF’s endorsement of a project that is so important for the

Event Communications has been appointed to design a new visitor attraction at Roman Maryport, Cumbria - part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site. Hadrian's Wall Heritage (HWH) - a non-profit organisation - bought 150 acres (60.7 hectares) of land at Camp Farm in December 2008 for the museum development, which is set to cost £11.5m. Roman Maryport, which is believed to be one of the most important Roman frontiers

Work has begun on the £15m Hotel Indigo in Liverpool. The 151-bed, four-star hotel - which is partly being funded by a £10m package from the Co-operative Bank - is being built by Wigan-based contractor Denizen. The hotel will be owned and operated by north west development group Sanguine Hospitality. Nick Taplin, Sanguine's managing director, said: "Merseyside's tourism economy is worth over £1.4bn and rising. In spite of one of

£4m plans for Todmorden Town Hall in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, have been approved by the borough council's project board. The proposals, drawn up by London-based architects Camillin Denny, include extensive refurbishment of the exterior and interior of the building and turning the basement into a café and heritage exhibition space. They also include shops and meeting rooms, new toilets, a new bar and lifts below an extension to the ballroom

A new £13m leisure centre is set to be developed in Rushden, Northamptonshire, after the scheme was given the green light by the local authority. East Northamptonshire Council (ENC) approved plans for the new Manor Park Leisure Centre, having originally deferred its decision last month. The venue will incorporate a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and teaching pool and a fitness suite, as well as exercise studios and leisure water facilities

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has unveiled its revised plans for the Northumberland Development Project (NDP), which is set to include a new stadium. The proposals - due to be submitted to Haringey Council - have been improved following consultation with English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, as well as other agencies. In addition to a new 56,250-seat stadium, the plans now boast a redesigned

Leicester-based Haley Sharpe Design (HSD) has been awarded the interpretative planning and exhibit design for a major redevelopment of Hong Kong's Maritime Museum. The group will work as part of a team led by Hong Kong-based P&T Architects on the development, which will cost HK$110m (£9.8m, US$14.1m, €11.4m) and is due for completion in October 2012. Currently at the schematic design stage, the redevelopment will see the attraction move from

London's Olympic Park site could house a new urban residential field studies centre after the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) struck a deal with the Field Studies Council (FSC). The two parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the possibility of establishing the facility at the site once the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are concluded. Under the proposals for the field studies centre, students would have

The Heritage Wing of Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, which was damaged in a terrorist attack in November 2008, is to re-open on 1 July. The structure has undergone a complete restoration and refurbishment programme and the hotel - owned by Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces - has been renamed The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. Refurbishment work has taken place on the hotel's bars, restaurants and banqueting spaces,

Plans for the development of a new £5m cultural venue to replace the Floral Hall in Hornsea have received the green light from local councillors. An existing leisure centre will be extended to provide a new multi-purpose community facility under the plans, which were approved by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's (ERYC) planning committee. A 313sq m (3,369sq ft) auditorium capable of accommodating 300 people, a 65sq m (700sq ft)

Work on the second phase of a £12.6m renovation at Leatherhead Leisure Centre in Surrey is expected to be completed on 7 June, according to the local authority. Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) has confirmed a range of new facilities are set to open on the weekend of 12-13 June, including new first-floor male and female gym changing facilities. Sauna, steam and therapy rooms; a reception area and a café

The 82 room Arch London has opened in London's West End. The hotel is housed in a row of nine Georgian Grade II listed townhouses and features 82 rooms and suites over six floors. It also has a lounge and study, a cocktail bar, a restaurant and a library serving afternoon teas and martinis. The architecture was by Graham Seabrook Partnership, with interiors by RDD. The interiors mix modern technology

The Museum of London is nearing completion of its £20m refurbishment which will see the opening of five new galleries. Architects Wilkinson Eyre and the museum's in-house design team have transformed its display spaces. The redesigned museum will feature the City Gallery, a new space housing the Lord Mayor's Coach; The Weston Theatre, a multipurpose space for films and performances which can also be used for corporate events; and the

Following the 2005 fire that destroyed the Old Pier Head in Southend, Saville Jones were appointed in 2007 to lead a design team in the restoration of the pier structure. The team also designed a new train station for the end of the pier. The new canopies were inspired by 'the pattern of waves rolling in to the foreshore'. On a more practical note, the structures can be economically reproduced

The scaffolding has finally come down on a major £3m conservation project at Westminster Abbey's Chapter House. The English Heritage-led scheme has seen a team of 20 master carvers and stonemasons cleaning and repairing the weather-worn gargoyles, stone floral friezes, flying buttresses and stained glass windows at what is one of the city's oldest buildings and a meeting place for the early House of Commons. In keeping with both medieval

Plans to demolish Sunderland’s Rainton Meadows arena and build an £8.5m hotel, shopping and leisure development have been announced. The 2,000 capacity venue in Houghton le Spring, Sunderland, is owned by Roseberry Leisure, which according to the Sunderland Echo, now wants to knock it down in favour of a 120-bedroom hotel, a 90,000sq ft supermarket and a 3,000-seat arena at the Rainton Bridge Business Park. The firm has been working

Plans to transform a cinema and nightclub complex in Aberdeen into a hotel have been submitted. The proposals, drawn up by Glasgow-based Keppie Design, feature a new nine-storey hotel at the former site of the Chicago Rock and Jumpin’ Jaks properties. The Union Street building was also the former home of the Capitol Cinema. Keppie architect Jane Brewster said the plans could “bring life” back to the area.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum has unveiled plans to develop a new landmark exhibition building dedicated to the Battle of Britain at Hendon, North London. Under the proposals drawn up by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the proposed Battle of Britain Beacon will feature a tapered body and will be 116m (350ft) high - taller than London's Big Ben. The beacon scheme - revealed ahead of the 70th anniversary of

Centre Pompidou-Metz, the offshoot of Paris’s famous Pompidou Centre, has opened in France. The 70.8m euro (£60.8m,US$89m) new centre, located in the north eastern city of Metz, is the first provincial branch of the famous art gallery. Owned by Communauté d’Agglomération de Metz Métropole, the building was designed by Japan-based Shigeru Ban Architects (SBA) in partnership with French architect Jean de Gastines. The centre will boast paintings, sculptures, installations, graphic

London-based contractor Leadbitter Group has been awarded a contract to design and construct the new £23m Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, London. Working to original designs drawn up by S&P Architects, the new complex will include a 100-station fitness suite and two workout studios with dedicated changing facilities. Becontree Heath Leisure Centre will also feature a 10-lane, 25m swimming pool and learner pool; a four-court sports hall; a 500-seat spectator area

A major new £12.5m swimming pool and fitness complex - The Edge - has opened its doors at the University of Leeds in West Yorkshire. Delivered by Hertfordshire-based company Willmott Dixon, The Edge has been designed by S&P Architects and includes a new 200-station fitness suite equipped by Technogym. The centre also boasts an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, with moveable floor to create depths of up to 2m (6.6ft). The

Construction work on a new 73-bedroom base2stay hotel in Soho, London, is poised to get underway early next year after the project was given the green light by the local authority. Westminster City Council's planning committee approved plans for the five-storey development, which has been drawn up by London-based ADAM Architecture and incorporates a neo-classical design. base2stay - the hotel concept first unveiled in Kensington, London, in 2006 - was

Hackney Council have approved plans for a major multi-million pound mixed-use scheme adjacent to the Hackney Empire that aims to safeguard the historic venue. London-based developer Thornsett Group is leading the Wilton Way project, which will include the demolition of existing office facilities and the construction of a new building. Plans include 425sq m (4,575sq ft) of flexible space to be used for community activities associated with the Hackney Empire

US-based hotel and resort design company WATG has unveiled its new 'Facility of the Future' interior design guidelines and standards for Golden Living - an award-winning care home concept - in response to an emerging senior population with a desire for high-quality, wellness-focused recovery environments. The facilities will emphasise short-term recovery care and promote an active lifestyle. Accommodation will be modelled on hotels and spas, with a focus on personal

Rezidor has reopened the former Hotel Ukraina in Moscow, USSR, as the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow. The 206m-tall building is one of what are known as Josef Stalin's 'Seven Sisters' (Stalinskie Vysotki) skyscrapers, built between 1947 and 1953. Comprising a 34-story hotel building and two 11-storey apartment blocks, it stands on a bend in the Moscow River, across the water from the White House Parliament building. Following a three-year renovation,

Demolition work has started at London's Heathrow Airport's first terminal building, which is making way for the development of a new £1bn replacement. The facility, which was originally designed by architect Frederick Gibberd and officially opened in 1955, was renamed Terminal 2 in 1969 upon the completion of the existing Terminal 1. Forming part of airport operator BAA's wider £4.8bn investment in improving facilities at Heathrow, the new T2 was

The Armani Hotel Dubai in the UAE - the first hotel developed as a result of a collaboration between fashion designer Giorgio Armani SpA and Emaar Properties PJSC - has officially opened. Occupying floors concourse to eight and levels 38 and 39 within the the US$1.6bn (£1.05bn, €1.21bn) Burj Khalifa tower - the world's tallest building - the hotel offers 160 guest rooms and suites and eight restaurants. Leisure options