The Renaissance Hotel, formerly operated by Marriott, in Reading is to undergo a multi-million pound refurbishment as part of its re-branding as the first UK pentahotel. The Germany-based brand has been created by the property's owner HPI Holdings, which decided to rebrand the hotel when Marriott's management contract expired. As part of the refurbishment, which will take place in the next couple of months, the six-floor hotel will acquire 12

The Skelwith Group plans to make a bid to host the Ryder Cup golf tournament in Yorkshire for the first time since 1957. The developer, which has the backing of Yorkshire Forward and The Yorkshire Tourist Board, plans to submit an official bid to the British and European PGA once its £100m Flaxby Country Club hotel is completed in early 2011. The company hopes to host the Europe v US

The proposed relocation of The Royal Highland Showground in Scotland has been delayed after Edinburgh Airport revised its development plans. The showground, which is also the headquarters of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), was due to move to a new 145-hectare (358.3-acre) site at Norton Park, near Edinburgh, in 2013. Edinburgh Airport, however, said that it would now cost £350m to relocate the showground, and the

A vision of how Birmingham's New Street Station will look following a £600m redevelopment project has been unveiled. The plans are part of the Birmingham Gateway scheme, which is designed to update the 1960s-built station, as well as stimulating further regeneration in the area. Plans include enlarging the concourse by three-and-a-half times its current size, a distinctive station facade, and better pedestrian links, both to and through the station. The

Restoration work has begun on the derelict Marshall Street Baths in Soho, London, as part of a £25m leisure centre development. The site, which first opened in 1852 and was closed nine years ago, is expected to reopen in 2010. When complete, the facility will include a restored main pool, a new gym and health suite with sauna and multi-purpose exercise studios. Part of the plans involve the second 70sq

The new £5.8m dual-use pool and fitness suite at Weald Recreation Centre in Billingshurst, West Sussex, is set to open 20 September. The project is part of a strategy to increase the number of swimming pools in Horsham to three. The Billingshurst pool will join Horsham's Pavilions in the Park swimming and leisure complex and Steyning Leisure Centre. To accommodate the new pool, Weald Recreation Centre – owned by Horsham

A large leisure, retail and entertainment complex is set to open in Kuwait City, Kuwait, early next year. The Kuwait 360° Mall is owned and operated by the retail group Tamdeen and will include a 15-screen multiplex cinema, an Imax theatre, three entertainment zones totaling 12,000sq m and 60,000sq m of branded retail space. At the heart of the development, which was designed by US-based architects RTKL, will be a

The £1.7m refurbishment of Saddleworth swimming baths in Oldham, Lancashire, is now underway. Saddleworth Pool, managed by Oldham Community Leisure, is due to receive a new 50-station fitness suite, dance studio and two five-a-side football pitches to join its existing flood-lit sports pitch. Cheshire-based design company Pozzoni has been appointed as the project's architects and plans to deliver a new entrance and reception area as well as reconfigured wet and

Plymouth City Council has appointed design and planning group Arup to create the £44m Life Centre, a new sports and leisure complex in the city's Central Park. Arup, which created the the $100m ($79m) Water Cube aquatics centre for the Beijing Olympics,was appointed along with the project's lead designers SMC Charter Architects, part of SMC Group. They will work with property consultants EC Harris and the council to manage the

Whitbread, the hotel and restaurant operator, will open its first 'green' Premier Inn at Tamworth, Staffordshire, in December. Work on the new site is already underway, and is set to implement a variety of environmental measures designed to reduce energy consumption by as much as 80 per cent. The new hotel will include ground-source heat pumps, which will use the earth's natural energy to cool and heat the hotel, as

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