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

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) is holding a competition to design some new buildings for the site. It is the second time the YDNPA has run its Best Building Design Competition, which aims to promote examples of both innovative and sensitive developments. Andrew McCullagh, the YDNPA’s deputy head of planning, said: “It’s often thought that, to get planning permission in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it is always

Bath Spa University (BSU) has unveiled plans to transform a former nightclub into a new city centre base for its music and performing arts students. The university has acquired the lease to the Burdall's Yard property on London Road and aims to create a rehearsal and performance facility on the site. BSU vice chancellor Professor Frank Morgan said: "We hope that Burdall's Yard will become a fantastic place for teaching

Plans for a new public square at Nottingham's Sneinton Market have been put on display. Local residents were given the opportunity to have their say on the Patel Taylor-designed proposals – part of a wider £6.8m scheme to improve links with the city's eastside – at a Nottingham City Council (NCC) event held on 24 April. The public square, which will create a space for events, festivals and performances, is

The former Express Lift Tower in Northampton, UK, is the subject of a planning application to Northampton Borough Council which seeks to turn the 418.1ft (127.45m) structure into a tourist attraction. The proposal, by local developer Peter Sullivan, would see alterations to the tower involving the provision of a high level maintenance gantry and panoramic lift on its external surface, with a two-storey visitor centre at its base. The latter

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is to add a 3.5 acre, USS$30m park - the North Campus - to its site on Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles, US. Scheduled to open in July 2011, North Campus - a collaboration between the museum itself; Jorge de la Cal, AIA, of CO Architects, Don Webb of the Cordell Corporation; and Mia Lehrer + Associates - will increase the visitor

A new masterplan for a major mixed-use redevelopment of the 12.8-acre (5.2-hectare) Chelsea Barracks project in Westminster, London, has been revealed. Middle East-based developer Qatari Diar is leading the multi-million pound scheme, which has been drawn up by Dixon Jones architects; Squire and Partners; and Kim Wilkie Associates. A boutique hotel, a community sports facility, public art and a medical centre form part of the residential-led scheme, along with some

Electric Hotel - a new 'pop-up' temporary dance work designed to involve the audience in a voyeur role - is set to embark on a UK tour from 7 May. London's Sadler's Wells theatre and outdoor festival consortium Without Walls co-commissioned the performance, which will be taking place in a number of public open spaces. Debuting at Millennium Place in Norwich between 7-9 May, the Electric Hotel concept will see

The former 3-pool swimming baths at Knowsley on Merseyside are to be demolished to make way for a new shopping development. The findings of a consultation document sent by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council to residents and businesses in Kirkby asking for their views on the future development of the town, revealed that seven out of 10 of the respondents rated new retail facilities and a food superstore as their top

Dorset-based contractor Greendale Construction has started work on a £5.5m scheme to restore a historic Grade II-listed castle near Swanage. Durlston Castle, situated at the heart of Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve, is set to be returned to full public use as a new visitor centre. The castle, which is due to reopen in summer 2011, will provide a new eastern gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage

Plans drawn up by architects Stanton Williams have been chosen for a new public square as part of Network Rail's £500m redevelopment of King's Cross station. The London-based firm was selected after holding off more than 100 architects and urban design practices who submitted designs for the project, which will create one of the capital's largest public squares. Network Rail has set aside around £6m for the 7,000sq m (75,347sq

English Heritage has pledged support for the £5.5bn renovation of London's Battersea Power Station, in a letter to Wandsworth Council. The news will be a welcome boost to Irish developers, Treasury Holdings, who, with their Rafael Viñoly-designed scheme, are the latest in a long line of firms that have tried to rejuvenate the site. The letter said: “As a long-standing 'Building at Risk', we welcome the plans for the reuse

Hotel operator Fairmont has revealed that London's Savoy Hotel will not reopen until late summer after a major renovation of the 120-year-old property hit further delays. A spokesperson for the company said it had yet to confirm a specific date for the relaunch, which was originally scheduled for May 2009 after the hotel closed in December 2007 to allow work to take place. Initial costs for the renovation project, which

Almost exactly 12 years after the idea was originally mooted, the first theme park in Europe devoted to plant life has opened near Angers in France's north western Anjou region. Terra Botanica is an €83m (£73m, US$113m) edutainment concept inviting visitors to discover the world of plant life - be it symbolic, historic, geographic, economic, scientific or aesthetic - through a series of displays, animated sets and interactive attractions set

A new £25m leisure complex being developed in Harlow, Essex, will not be completed until mid-to-late April after the contractor delivering the scheme reported further delays. Forming part of the wider Harlow Gateway regeneration project, the Harlow Leisurezone was initially due to be handed over to Gateway partners by Christmas 2009 but is now not set to open until May. An issue with the installation of fire dampers meant Abingdon-based