A new Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) initiative is helping to provide women with new employment and training opportunities within the construction industry, according to Olympics minister, Tessa Jowell. The 'Women into Construction' scheme, funded by the London Development Agency and Construction Skills, aims to secure work placements for 50 women a year on projects to build venues and infrastructure for London 2012. Jowell attended a taster session for the initiative

Work on the first section of a new 16.8km (10.4-mile) waterfront promenade in Edinburgh is set to get underway in January between Silverknowes and Granton. A timetable has now been drawn up for the 30-year scheme, which will eventually link Cramond with Joppa. The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has already earmarked £210,000 this financial year to enable work to start on the first 1km (0.62-mile) stage. Project manager, Steve

Proposals for a £16m scheme designed to revitalise the centre of Loughborough, Leicestershire, by increasing access for pedestrians and cyclists are to be put on public display in December. Charnwood Borough Council (CBC), working with Leicestershire County Council, will put forward ideas to local residents and businesses between 10-13 December. Forming part of CBC's Town Centre Masterplan for Loughborough, the plans include the pedestrianisation of a number of streets, as

Urban regeneration company, Riverside Inverclyde, has unveiled its plans for the £180m redevelopment of the 50-acre (20.2-hectare) James Watt Dock in Greenock. In partnership with property and transport company, Peel, the project is set to be one of the largest ever regeneration projects in Scotland, and will be centred around the Category 'A'-listed Sugar Warehouse. The scheme is expected to take 10 years to complete, and is set to include

Owners of the Fetternear Estate, near Kemnay, in Scotland have submitted an outline planning application for a mixed-use development and the restoration of Bishops Palace to Aberdeenshire Council. The plans to redevelop disused farm land and restore the listed building, built in 1329, in collaboration with Scottish Heritage, have been created in partnership with Hardie Planning Consultancy and Leslie F Hunter Chartered Architects. If approved, the site will host a

Seven architects have been shortlisted for the multi-million pound refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. The firms, whittled down from fifty submissions, are London-based Allford Hall Monaghan Morris; Burrell Foley Fischer, in London; Nord Architecture in Glasgow; Pentagram Architects; Paris-based Studio Andrew Todd; Studio 3 and Union North. The design competition to upgrade and restore the 70-year-old art deco-style building also included firms from New York

Plans to redevelop the derelict Lowther Castle and Gardens near Penrith, Cumbria, into a new £15m tourist attraction have received a major funding boost worth £9m. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) will contribute £7m towards the scheme, while an additional £2m is also being put forward by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). An application has also been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the remaining £6m, but

Russia-based MT Development has announced that it will be building a new RUS16.8bn (US$620m, £406m, 472m euro) leisure attraction in the capital Moscow. To be called Freestyle Park, the 280,000sq m (3 million sq ft) sport and leisure destination is expected to attract five million visits annually. The attraction aims to cater for all ages by providing a range of events, from extreme sports to gaming facilities. Activities will include

Warwickshire County Cricket Club's (WCCC) £30m redevelopment of Edgbaston cricket ground has taken a step forward after an application for compulsory purchase orders on houses in a nearby street was approved. Birmingham City Council (BCC) agreed in principle to allow WCCC to acquire buildings in the city's Pershore Road as part of plans to build a new main stand at the stadium. A hotel, a residential development and offices are

A new 1,500-acre (607-hectare) coastal wildlife habitat is to be established by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in Essex using material excavated as part of the construction of London's Crossrail project. Clay, chalk, sand and gravel will be shipped by boat from the centre of the capital to Wallasea Island, which is the site for Europe's largest wetland creation scheme. Designed to replace wildlife habitats damaged

Leeds City Council (LCC) has approved plans for a new centre of excellence for dance which will become the new home of the Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and the Phoenix Dance Theatre (PDT). The new six-storey £12m centre will consist of seven dance studios, including a 200-seat studio theatre, as well as a health suite, a costume workshop and office space. It will also eventually house a full-time a classical

The National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. is to reopen today (21 November) after a two-year, US$85m (£57.5m) facelift. The museum – which is operated by the Smithsonian Institute – saw its centre core renovated, with a grand staircase and a skylight installed and a new Star-Spangled Banner gallery built. New York-based architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the project, which was then carried out by the Turner

Public art and social facilities have been proposed by Leicester University as part of its £1bn campus redevelopment project. The scheme is designed to establish the university as one of the top ten in the UK, and its new Development Framework Plan outlines £786m of investment over the next two decades to complement a £300m plan unveiled in 2002. At the centre of proposals, the university plans to establish high

Work has started on the second phase of the National Cricket Centre at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. An extra floor will be built at the centre, which was first opened during the winter of 1998/99, while new seating and access facilities will also be added to the site. By the start of the 2009 season, the centre will also house a

Work is set to begin by the end of the year on the £31.4m Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in North Lanarkshire after the local authority agreed to provide extra funding. North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) has approved an additional £2.4m for the new complex in order to cover rising costs, and it is now expected that preparation work can begin on site in December, with full-scale work scheduled to begin in

Broxtowe Borough Council (BBC) has revealed that anti-social behaviour at a park in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, has been reduced as a result of its new play strategy. Improvements to Queen Elizabeth Park, which were completed in July, was one of a number of projects included in the strategy, which aims to 'design out' anti-social behaviour by providing dedicated spaces for young people. A new football and basketball facility was installed at

Irish development company, Chartered Land, has revised plans for a 1.25m euro (£1.014m) regeneration project in the centre of Dublin. Plans for the 5.5-acre (2.25-hectare) Dublin Central scheme were unveiled in April, but the company was asked to submit further information following a request made by planners at Dublin City Council. The mixed-use project will see the regeneration of the city's old Carlton Cinema on Upper O'Connell Street, and will

The designs for the US$79m (£53m, 62.2m euro) expansion of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) Arena in Duluth, Minnesota, US, have been unveiled. The project is a joint venture between the arena and the University of Minnesota, whose men’s and women’s ice hockey teams play at the venue. Designed by Kansas City-based HOK Sport and Duluth-based SJA Architects, the arena will see its capacity grow from 5,100 to 6,600.

The £61m Curve theatre in Leicester has opened its doors after three years of construction. Based in the St George’s Conservation Area in the heart of the city’s cultural quarter, the building was designed by the Uruguayan-born, New York-based architect Rafael Viñoly and is his first completed project in the UK. Curve, which replaces the Haymarket Theatre, boasts two auditoriums – the 750-seat main theatre and a 350-seat studio –

Operator Edinburgh Leisure has released detailed designs of the £2.5m redevelopment of its Craiglockhart Tennis & Sports Centre in Scotland. The upgrade is part of the City’s Sport and Physical Recreation Strategy, which is intended to make Edinburgh the most physically active city in Europe by 2020. When complete, the centre will be extended by one storey and will feature squash courts, a new reception area, a fitness studio and

The Lune Aqueduct in Lancaster is to receive a £3m facelift. The plans, drawn up by British Waterways North West, involve relining the canal channel; repaving both sides of the canal along the aqueduct and rebuilding walls along the turning basin among other restoration work. However, British Waterways also held a public consultation at Lancaster’s Maritime Museum to discuss further plans to be included. Some of the ideas discussed included

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has unveiled its plans for the London 2012 Olympic Park. Designed by LDA Design and Hargreaves Associates, the 100-hectare park, to be set on former industrial land, has been inspired by the Victorian and post-war pleasure and festival gardens. The park will be home to the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velopark, multi-sports arena and the Eton Manor outdoor sports complex. It will boast lawns, footpaths

Leeds City Council (LCC) has announced that a new multi-million pound entertainment arena is to be built at a site in the city centre. The council's executive selected the 5.1-acre (2.06-hectare) Claypit Lane site for the new 12,500-seat venue, which is part owned by Leeds Metropolitan University. Council land at Elland Road will be retained as a back-up option for the development after it was adjudged that the city centre

A £115m golf course on the outskirts of Aberdeen has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government, less than 48-hours after Donald Trump’s £1bn Balmedie golf resort was also approved. The course, designed by former Open champion Paul Lawrie and being developed by the Muir Group, will also boast a hotel and housing. The proposal was previously okayed by Aberdeenshire Council and the government has decided not to call

The proposed health centre for the London 2012 Athletes’ Village has reportedly been shelved. The Architects’ Journal said that the project, designed by Penoyre & Prasad, could be scrapped and the healthcare facilities could now be housed in a temporary building during the Games. Lend Lease, the developer, is struggling to raise its contribution to the £1bn required for the village due to the global credit crisis, which has also

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) has launched a fundraising appeal to help finance a new £22.5m arts training and performance complex in Cardiff. Cardiff Council approved planning permission for the scheme in September, and the college is now seeking to raise £3.5m from donors with 80 per cent of the project's funding already in place, including a £10m contribution from the Welsh Assembly Government. Plans for

Work has begun on the £5m redevelopment of the University of Bradford Leisure Centre. The university is working with Cambridge-based architects Saunders Boston and Lotus Construction to revamp the sports and recreation facilities on its city centre campus. Chris Spargo, head of commercial services for the university, said: “This significant investment into new and redeveloped sports facilities not only provides a fantastic opportunity for the current and future student community,