Plans have been submitted to Cheshire East Council (CEC) for the creation of a new discovery centre at the University of Manchester's (UM) Jodrell Bank Observatory. The 'live science' visitor attraction aims to attract thousands of extra visitors to the observatory, showcasing research 'as it happens' and inspire a future generation of young scientists. Jodrell Bank's 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) discover centre will include a Planet Pavilion entrance building, with

St. Louis, US-based PGAV Destinations has won contracts to undertake the planning and design of Zhuhai Ocean World and the expansion of the Terracotta Warriors Museum, both in China. The Ocean World project is being developed by the Chimelong Group - which operates theme parks, animal safari parks, waterparks, and hotels in Guangzhou's Panyu district - as part of its Hengqin Island Development. When completed it will become the largest

Milton Keynes Council (MKC) has approved plans for the development of a new community sports pavilion on playing fields off Cranborne Avenue, Westcroft. Revised proposals for the project were submitted for consideration by the council in December 2009 after initial plans for a two-storey development were refused in October. The planned one-storey pavilion is set to boast four changing rooms fitted with showers, officials' changing rooms and a small social

A museum exploring the role of working-class people in the development of democracy in Britain from the early 18th century to the present day has officially reopened in Manchester. Unveiled by health secretary and MP for Leigh Andy Burnham, the People's History Museum has benefited from an extensive £12.5m redevelopment project. The attraction boasts 1,384sq m (4,541sq ft) of exhibition space and nearly 1,500 artefacts on display, while a purpose-built

Sheffield City Council (SCC) has confirmed that construction work on a new discovery centre at the Ecclesall Woods Sawmill site is set to get underway this month. A new timber building is set to house visitor, education and training facilities which will cater for school groups and community organisations, as well as local businesses, families and individuals. Additional toilet and refreshment facilities at the centre have been designed to showcase

Dublin-based Holohan Architects won two awards at last month's Zurich LAMA Awards ceremony. The €16.6m NUI Galway Sports Centre won 'Best Sporting Facility - Not Publicly Funded' while the Ä7.5m Aura Youghal Leisure Centre won 'Best Recreational Facility'. The national awards look at how projects enhance local communities.

Nottingham City Council (NCC) has lodged plans for the £9m development of the city's new Victoria Leisure Centre, which will be built on the site of the existing facility. Designs for the complex have been drawn up by London-based architects Levitate and form part of a wider £32m council-led scheme to upgrade leisure provision across Nottingham. The existing Victoria Leisure Centre is due to close on 1 April to make

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) has been handed a boost after planning officials at the local authority backed plans for a major renovation of the County Ground, Bristol. Two planning applications submitted for the redevelopment of the club's Nevil Road venue - due to be considered on 10 March - have been recommended for approval by officers at Bristol City Council (BCC). The council's development control (north) committee will determine

London's iconic Piccadilly Circus is set to undergo a major £14m makeover in a bid to provide more space for pedestrians under new proposals approved by Westminster City Council (WCC). More than 1km (0.6 miles) of "oppressive" railings installed in 1963 are set to be removed as part of the scheme, which follows the success of a Japanese-style diagonal pedestrian crossing created at Oxford Circus. The site's landmark Eros statue

Frasers Property Australia's plans to build a new AU$4m (£2.4m, €2.6m, US$3.6m) public park in Sydney have been given the green light by the New South Wales Department of Planning. The 6,500sq m (69,965sq ft) park is set to form part of the property company's wider AU$2bn (£1.2bn, €1.3bn, US$1.8bn) redevelopment of the former Carlton and United Brewery site in Chippendale. Designed by Denmark-based Jeppe Aargaard Anderson and Australia-based Turf

The Time Capsule leisure centre in Coatbrige, Scotland, is to undergo a £6m redevelopment funded by North Lanarkshire Council. Improvements at the centre, which attracts around 700,000 visitors a year, will include the creation of a new health and fitness club, a new water slide and improved spa facilities. The centre's new spa suite will feature a stone-bedded relaxation area, spa pools, steamrooms and saunas. There will also be a

Slough Community Leisure is to start work in April converting the existing Slough Tennis Centre into a new £1.6m ten-pin bowling centre. Due for completion by the end of the summer, the new facility will boast 18 bowling lanes, gaming machines, pool tables and a café/bar. The project is being funded and managed by Alliance Leisure. It was designed by Bignell Shacklady Ewing and building work will be carried out

Evesham Leisure Centre in Worcestershire has won the Community Architecture category of the Wychavon Building Design Awards. Wychavon Leisure, which operates the facility, highlighted its strengths as being "its striking use of colour, forms and contrasting material, all of which has helped the new leisure centre stand as a landmark development for the town". The facility was designed by architects Roberts-Limbrick and constructed by Galliford Try. The Wychavon Building Design

Hotel operator Yotel has announced plans to move away from its international airport locations with the opening of a 669-bedroom property in the centre of New York, US. Inspired by first-class airline cabins, the Yotel Times Square pod hotel is set to boast 170sq ft (15.8sq m) rooms fitted with rain showers, mood lighting and the group's 'techno wall' - including flat screen television. The new property will form part

Warwick District Council (WDC) has approved plans for the refurbishment of a Grade II-listed former church in Leamington Spa to provide a new home for the Loft Theatre Company. The former United Reform Church building on Spencer Street will be extended and revamped as part of the project to create a new performance centre, which will establish a new focal point for the arts and creative industries in the town.

East Northamptonshire Council (ENC) has announced that it has submitted detailed plans for the new £13m Manor Park Leisure Centre, which is set to be built in Rushden, Northamptonshire. Working in partnership with Rushden Town Council, the centre is poised to include a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and teaching pool, dance/exercise studios and a fitness suite, as well as a six-court sports hall. Leisure water facilities - such as jets

Rafael Viñoly's masterplan for the £5.5bn redevelopment of London's Battersea Power Station site has been given the backing of the government's architecture advisory body. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) said plans for the 40-acre (16.2-hectare) site, submitted by developer Treasury Holdings UK in October, has achieved an "impressive amount within the constraints of the building". Battersea's Grade II*-listed power station building is at the heart of

Property firm Heron International has unveiled plans to open a new restaurant and sky bar at the top of Heron Tower, set to become one of the tallest buildings in London. The 46-storey development, which is currently under construction, has been designed by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox and will be 230m (755ft) tall. Due for completion in March 2011, the tower will boast a 13,423sq ft (1,247 sq m) restaurant

The Madeira Story Centre in Funchal, Madeira, has been forced to close due to the heavy flooding on the island. The site, the island's first visitor centre, features exhibition spaces housed in a number of buildings and include a storyline of João Gonçalves Zarco's discovery of the Madeiran archipelago in 1418. The attraction was opened in 2005 by Blandy Group at a cost of around €6.4m (£4.5m. US$8.5m). The construction

Work has begun on a AUD$25m (£14.3m, US$22.4m, €16.5m) project to reconnect the city with the beach in Surfers Paradise on Australia's Gold Coast. Funded by AUD$20m (£11.5m, US$18m, €13.2m) from the Gold Coast City Council and AUD$5m (£2.9m, US$4.5m, €3.3m) from the Queensland State Government, the Surfers Paradise Foreshore Masterplan is part of a AUD$90m (£51.5m, US$80.8m, €59.4m) 'economic stimulus' package to improve infrastructure in the city and create

Merseyside-based developer Langtree has started work a £3.7m scheme to transform Liverpool's derelict International Garden Festival site, more than a quarter of a century after it first opened. The proposed restoration of the site, which has received investment from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), is set to take 12 months to complete and will help to create a major new visitor attraction. Landscape architects Planit have helped to draw

The 878-room JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles - a cornerstone of the city's US$2.5bn (£1.6bn, €1.84bn) L.A. LIVE sports, residential and entertainment district - has opened. The 4m sq ft property, which plans to be LEED-certified, shares space with the 123-room Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles and The Ritz-Carlton Residences in a 54-storey tower designed by Gensler. One of the tallest mix-use buildings in downtown Los Angeles and situated opposite the Los

London's Olympic organisers have been given the green light by Greenwich Council to use the Royal Artillery Barracks and the O2 Arena as host venues during the 2012 Games. The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will stage Olympic and Paralympic shooting events, as well as the Paralympic archery competition. Meanwhile, the O2 Arena will host gymnastics, basketball and wheelchair basketball. Plans submitted by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in partnership

Plans for the transformation of an "unpopular" waterfront site in Bournemouth, Dorset, have taken a step forward after the local authority agreed a timetable for the scheme. A range of ideas for the redevelopment of the town's IMAX building are set to be considered by Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) after it completed the acquisition of the property earlier this month. Proposals put forward by members of the public - including

Ross Sanders, the founder of pub company Urban & Country Leisure (UCL), is to open a night club in London called "DIU". The entrepreneur has raised £2m in funding for the new venture, which will be run as a separate entity to the UCL estate. Located on Greek Street in the capital's Soho district, the club is scheduled to open in March. The interior of the club has been designed

Property company Frogmore has been given the green light to develop a new 80-bedroom hotel in central London, which will be run by restaurant operator D&D London as part of a 35-year lease agreement. Plans for the 72,000sq ft (6,689sq m) property, which were drawn up by Allies and Morrison, were approved by the London Borough of Islington and include a bar and grill and a rooftop restaurant and bar

London-based design company Seymourpowell has revealed designs for its new vertical airship concept, which could transport passengers from London to New York in 37 hours. According to the company, its vision for the Aircruise is based on the premise that 'slow is the new fast' and would provide an environmentally-sustainable mode of transport powered by solar energy and lifted by hydrogen. Capable of accommodating 100 passengers, initial plans for Aircruise