The Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) has announced that Saadiyat Beach Golf Course in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is on track to open in autumn 2009. The 18-hole course, designed by golf champion Gary Player to be 'eco-sensitive', could be the first attraction to open as part of the 15-year, A Dhs.100 billion (£15bn, US$ 27bn) Saadiyat Island development. Translated to mean Island of Happiness, the project is

A 'topping out' ceremony has been held to mark the progress being made on a new 25,000-seat stadium in Cardiff. The stadium, in the Leckwith area of the city, will be the new home of both Cardiff City Football Club and Cardiff Blues rugby team. Officials from both clubs, as well as Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman, attended the ceremony to celebrate the stadium reaching its highest point. Developers PMG

The City of London Corporation has held a public consultation on its 20-year vision for the Parliament Hill area of Hampstead Heath. A number of plans have been outlined for the area known as 'the Parliament Hill triangle' which the corporation hopes to implement over the next two decades. Proposals that went to consultation include planting schemes which would see the reintroduction of native trees and shrubs, improving the lido

Property developer The Klin Group has submitted plans for a 27-room boutique hotel and retail complex to East Ayrshire Council in Scotland. The Encore Project, which is expected to cost around £65m, will result in a series of derelict buildings being converted into a five-storey, 40,000sq ft tower, in the Victorian Quarter of Kilmarnock’s town centre. When complete, the building will house restaurants, retail stores and the hotel as part

The designs for London 2012's velodrome have been unveiled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The VeloPark, as it will be known, was designed by Hopkins Architects – with Expedition Engineering, BDSP and Grant Associates – and will be based to the north of the Olympic Park. The facility will include a 6,000-seat velodrome for the indoor track cycling events and a BMX circuit. After the Games, a road cycle

Southend United Football Club (SUFC) has been given full planning permission by the government to build a new 22,000-seat stadium at Fossetts Farm. However, the club has rejected a local media report which had suggested the cost of the project had risen sharply. Plans for the stadium, which include a hotel and conference facilities, were initially approved last year by both Southend Borough Council and Rochford District Council in early

The development of a £12m sports complex in Matlock, Derbyshire, could be delayed following the withdrawal of funding partner the Marston's pub company. Derbyshire Dales District Council, owner and operator of the proposed facility, intended to invest £7m into the project, which was to be generated from the sale of land to Marston's and of Sherwood Hall Leisure Centre, which was recently sold for £1m. The pub company backed out

South Bank Employers' Group (SBEG) has announced the four design teams which have been shortlisted to come up with a new look for Waterloo City Square in London. Each of the four teams will present their design ideas for the square at a public exhibition this winter. The shortlisted candidates, EDAW, DSDHA, Lab Architecture Studio and Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, will draw up plans to transform one of London's busiest transport

Loyal Leisure, owner of Strathmore Golf Centre in East Perthshire, has received outline planning permission for a multi-million pound expansion, which includes on-site holiday accommodation. The plans, approved by Perth and Kinross Council, include a 30-bed lodge with a health and fitness suite, 34 chalets and a new clubhouse with a pro-golf shop, a bar and meeting rooms. The chalets, of various sizes, will be built in clusters across three

Proposals to build a National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, US have been given the green light by local planners. Scheduled to open in 2011, the US$80m (£45m, 56m euro) museum was given final approval by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and has also received the support of the US Comission of Fine Arts (CFA). Authorized by Congress in the year 2000, the National Law Enforcement Museum will

Crusaders Football Club has identified two sites in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that could house an ambitious joint stadium project. In partnership with Newington Football Club, the plans for both locations, launched at the end of August, include a shared 4,200-capacity, all-seater stadium as part of a wider community sports development. Designed by Frank Crowley Architects of Dublin, the new stadium will be located at either Grove Park in north Belfast,

Work has started on a new £30m destination hotel and spa resort at Tregorrick, near St. Austell, in Cornwall. The Cornwall Hotel, Spa and Estate will be set in a 43-acre area of historic wood and parkland, designed with a natural theme to fit in with the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Bristol-based architects AWW designed the new resort, which will see the transformation of a 19th century country

The construction of Liverpool Football Club’s (LFC) new 73,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park has been put on hold. The £350m development, which received planning permission last month, was expected to open in time for the 2011-2012 season. A spokesperson for the club said: "Our commitment to building a new world class LFC stadium is undiminished. Like many other major development projects in the UK and overseas, we are affected by

Morecambe Football Club (MFC) has been granted planning permission by Lancaster City Council for a new development incorporating a 6,800-capacity stadium. As well as a new stadium, the 5.3 hectare (13 acre) site at Westgate will also include an outdoor multi-sports facility. Outline approval was also given for a 40-bedroom hotel, a club shop and seven food and drink outlets at the site. MFC has drawn up the plans with

Arts Council England is extending its consultation on the future of Architecture Week to help decide "the most effective way of engaging the public with art and architecture". In a statement the arts body said that it will carry out wider consultation throughout the built environment sector, including the Architecture Foundation, IGNITE and local authorities. The consultation follows a review commissioned by the council and its Architecture Week partners, the

Westfield London, a £1.6bn mixed-use development is due to open this October as part of the regeneration of the White City Opportunity Area. The scheme, designed by US architect Michael Gabellini on behalf of Australian-based developers Westfield Group, will feature a 14-screen cinema run by National Amusements and a gym with health spa. The 200,000sq ft, three-floor development will also boast two levels of retail stores and The Atrium, an

Plans for the regeneration of Edinburgh's Leith Docks have been given the go-ahead by City of Edinburgh Council. The council awarded outline planning permission for the £700m mixed-use scheme, which is reportedly the largest planning application in Edinburgh's history. The project is part of a 30-year vision to transform the city's waterfront into a sustainable community and leisure destination. The framework, designed by international architects RMJM in collaboration with developers

HOK Sport, the architect firm behind the 2012 Olympic stadium and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, is to separate from parent group HOK. HOK Sport's head, Rod Sheard, is leading the management buy out, which was funded by himself and other executives. The Kansas City, USA-based HOK Sport Venue Event – to give the company its full name – became an independent yet wholly-owned subsidiary of HOK in 2000. The two companies

Fife Council, Scotland, has announced plans to redevelop two of its leisure centres and to refurbish another sports facility as part of a £50m capital investment programme. The Fife Institute of Physical & Recreation Education (FIPRE) in Glenrothes will be redeveloped, as will the Kirkcaldy Swimming Pool, as part of a £33m project. The development is being carried out by B3Architects – also architectural advisors for the London 2012 Olympics

A £122m regeneration plan for south Norwich has received the green light from Norwich City Council. The 45,000sq ft mixed-use development, called Harford Place, is led by developers Targetfollow and includes a leisure complex, restaurants, cafés, a hotel and a 10,000sq ft community art centre with 20 artist studios. When complete, the development will also include residential housing, a public realm and a new public square, which will form the

The Coin Street Community Builders' (CSCB) proposals for a new mixed-use development on London's South Bank have been approved by the secretary of state, Hazel Blears. The Doon Street Scheme is a collaboration between architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, CSCB, operator Greenwich Leisure and the Rambert Dance Company. The development team also included consultants Arup, Davis Langdon LLP, Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners and Montagu Evans. The plans for the 144m (472sq

Work is reportedly set to begin this month on a project which will see Dubai's Wonderland theme and water park transformed with the addition of new rides, water attractions, hotels, restaurants spas and retail outlets. The DH615m (£90m, US$167m, AUD$192m, 113m euro) development is designed to be a smaller-scale version of the Disneyland and Universal Studios theme parks in the United States. The work is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Australia-based developers Stockland has submitted a revised planning application for a mixed-use development at William Hunter Way in Brentwood, Essex. The plans, being considered by Brentwood Borough Council, include a six-screen Apollo cinema and food store, a new pedestrian link from the development to the high street which includes two retail units, as well as 18 new homes. The developers, formerly known as Stockland Halladale, has worked with architects Engle

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has opened Europe's first hotel to be constructed from modified shipping containers. The 120-room property in Uxbridge, London, opened last week and has been built using 86 steel containers which were constructed and fitted in China. Two different sizes of container were used in the hotel's construction, which offers double rooms measuring 5m x 3m, as well as 3.5m x 6m family rooms. Disabled rooms will

A date has been announced for the public inquiry into plans put forward by Everton Football Club for a new stadium in Kirkby, Liverpool. The £120m, 50,000-seat stadium is part of a wider £400m joint regeneration venture with supermarket company, Tesco. Communities secretary Hazel Blears called in the project two weeks ago, and the government has announced a date of 18 November for the inquiry to start. Leader of Knowsley

The 19th century Clifton Victoria Baths in Bristol, one of the oldest Grade II-listed swimming pools in the UK, is due to reopen this October following an extensive £2m restoration project, which began October 2006. The lido will be operated by, Bristol-based restaurant group the Glass Boat Company, which has been working in collaboration with architects Marshall Kendon and English Heritage to upgrade the 885sq m facility. When complete, the

The Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago, US, has unveiled the first phase of its US$27m (£14.2m, 18m euro) refurbishment. Boston-based Jinnie Kim Design was responsible for the plans, which included transforming all 306 guest rooms, in a "contemporary style that highlights details hearkening back to the hotel's 1920s origination". General manager, Anthony Kinnear, said: "The redesign of our guest accommodation brings our hotel to a level of luxury befitting its