by Luke Tuchscherer | 27 Jun 2008

New £4bn plans for Battersea Power Station in London have been revealed. The disused, Grade II-listed building has been the subject of redevelopment schemes since 1984, but none of the plans have come to fruition. Now, details of yet another new project – the brainchild of Irish group Treasury Holdings, which bought the site in 2006 for 595m euro (then £400m) – have been announced. Real Estate Opportunities (REO) –

by Luke Tuchscherer | 24 Jun 2008

Construction has begun on the new £3.8m sports hall at Sportspark, the swimming and sports centre based at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich. The new building – to be built in addition to the existing three-hall Barclays arena – will feature eight badminton courts, four basketball courts and four volleyball courts, as well as two lecture rooms for use by UEA, which is funding the project. The

by Luke Tuchscherer | 24 Jun 2008

Public voting for the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects, is now open until 4 July. The awards are split into seven categories – arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sports and charity – and each category features 10 projects. The three projects that receive the most votes, either online or by telephone, will progress through to the final round of voting, which will

by Tom Walker | 23 Jun 2008

Portsmouth Football Club and developers Sellar Property Group have unveiled new designs for a proposed 36,000-seater stadium on Horsea Island. The announcement comes after plans for a stadium on another site, The Hard, were scrapped in November following security concerns from the Royal Navy, which operates a base next to the site. If the planning application is approved, work on the project could begin in 2009 and construction of the

by Tom Walker | 16 Jun 2008

Work on a new visitors centre at UNESCO world heritage site Giant’s Causeway could begin in autumn 2009 for a spring 2011 opening if a planning application by the National Trust is approved by the end of this year. The National Trust, which is working on the scheme in partnership with Moyle District Council, also announced it will be committing £6m to the project to replace the previous visitors centre,

by Luke Tuchscherer | 13 Jun 2008

Chester Zoo could undergo expansion works that would see the site triple in size. Leisure Concepts, a design and architecture firm, has put forward a concept proposal for the zoo. The designs include increasing the size of the site to 140 hectares and adding a hotel. The proposal also includes plans for four habitat environments, which would “take visitors on geographic journey”, and a number of water rides that would

by Tom Walker | 13 Jun 2008

The new £2.6m sports centre at Bassingbourn Village College has opened to the public. The new facility includes a multi-purpose indoor sports court, an all-timber gym floor and integrated dance space and a dance bar. Other amenities at the centre, designed by architects Pick Everard, include an all-weather pitch, reception and office area, and separate changing facilities for outdoor and indoor users. Building work featured a number of energy-efficient measures,

by Andrea Jezovit | 12 Jun 2008

Neptune Developments has completed the first phase of a £40m revamp of Southport Theatre & Convention Centre in Sefton, Merseyside. The scheme, designed by Southport-based architects NJSR, saw a new glass-fronted entrance foyer and link lobby being added to the site, along with new lifts to all floors, and new bar and catering areas to the site. Allenbuild were lead contractors on the project, which also included the restoration of

by Andrea Jezovit | 12 Jun 2008

Work on a £300m urban village in Chesterfield could begin in autumn if plans by developer Urbo Regeneration are approved. The scheme, called Chesterfield Waterside, will see a 40-acre former industrial site adjacent to the A61 in the River Rother corridor developed into a mixed-use waterside neighbourhood. The scheme includes 1,200 homes, along with a retail and business quarter, a landmark public square, ecological park, public open spaces, and strengthened

by Tom Walker | 11 Jun 2008

Work on Altair, a £150m development aimed at rejuvenating the centre of Altrincham, in Trafford, Greater Manchester, is set to begin in 2009 for a 2012 completion. The project, which is a partnership between Nikal Property Development & Investment, David Mclean Group and Trafford Council, has been designed by architect Ian Simpson, and will include a 3,000-seat ice rink that will be home to the Manchester Phoenix ice hockey team.

by Tom Walker | 11 Jun 2008

Plans for a new 50,000-capacity stadium for Everton Football in Liverpool have been approved by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The £120m stadium is to form part of a £400m regeneration scheme, called Destination Kirkby, which will include new retail outlets, restaurants, a hotel and office space. Leader of Knowsley Council, Cllr Ron Round, said: “This scheme is an amazing opportunity to change the face of Kirkby forever. “It will create

by Tom Walker | 11 Jun 2008

An astronomical observatory has opened at Six Senses’ Soneva Fushi resort in the Maldives. Located within the flagship resort’s dense jungle, the observatory’s telescope allows guests to observe images of the craters and mountains on the moon, the satellites of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. At certain times of the year, visiting astronomers will deliver presentations to Soneva Fushi’s guests. Details: sixsenses.com

by Tom Walker | 09 Jun 2008

Construction on phase one of a proposed £7.2m restoration of the King’s Theatre in Glasgow could get under way later this year. Work on the Grade A-listed 1904 building, which will include seating refurbishment, is dependant upon an agreed plan with Historic Scotland, which is currently in discussions with the theatre. The renovations should begin once these talks are complete, a spokesperson for the theatre said. Glasgow City Council, which

by Andrea Jezovit | 05 Jun 2008

The NEC Group, which runs Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, has announced it will partner with Genting Stanley (Solihull) Ltd (GSSL) on the proposed addition of a £90m leisure and entertainment complex, including a large casino, to the site in Solihull. Genting Stanley, the UK casino operator owned by Malaysia-based Genting International, created GSSL as a subsidiary to finance, own and operate the facility. Details are still being developed, but the

by Luke Tuchscherer | 03 Jun 2008

The Lightbox art gallery and museum in Woking has won the £100,000 Art Fund Prize. The Lightbox – the end result of a 15-year campaign by a group of locals to obtain a galley for the Surrey town – was designed by Marks Barfield Architects, who designed the London Eye. Chair of the judges, Sue MacGregor, said: “It was a difficult final choice for the judges, but in the end

by Luke Tuchscherer | 02 Jun 2008

The 2008 World’s Fair is to begin in Saragossa, Spain, later this month. Called Expo Zaragoza, the Spanish spelling of the city, the 93-day event will have the topic of 'Water and Sustainable Development' and is being coordinated by the Bureau of International Expositions. Featuring buildings designed by Zaha Hadid (the Bridge Pavilion, which is expected to be turned into a museum after the event) and Enrique de Teresa (the

by Andrea Jezovit | 02 Jun 2008

Southmead Development Trust has completed a renovation worth just under £2m at its Greenway Centre in Bristol. The project saw the creation of a new structure designed by Childs and Sulmann Partners, with a fitness suite featuring over 30 pieces of cardio and strength equipment from Pulse Fitness, including the Freedom and Evolve ranges. The suite also contains freeweight equipment and 11 group cycles. Much of the equipment is IFI-accredited,

by Andrea Jezovit | 29 May 2008

CBRE Hotels has established a joint venture with CBRE Switzerland to create the country’s first international hotel real estate advisor. The new venture, CBRE Hotels Switzerland, will be led by Arnaud Andrieu, with support from CBRE Switzerland and CBRE Hotels London, headquarters of CBRE Hotels EMEA. The company will provide brokerage, valuation, asset management and consultancy services to Swiss hotel owners, operators and investors through a team of specialists based

by Andrea Jezovit | 29 May 2008

Kingsgate London Properties is converting a central Liverpool office block into a £17m boutique hotel and spa, to open by early 2010. The developer, which currently owns the Iron Gate hotel in Prague, has appointed architect and historic building consultant Purcell Miller Tritton to work on the conversion of the former Royal Insurance Building, a seven storey Edwardian structure listed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register. The hotel

by Tom Walker | 20 May 2008

Shane Westley, managing director of the 25 Club in London’s Mayfair has hinted that the exclusive health club’s owners might be looking to expand the brand into Europe. In an interview with Leisure Management (Issue 3 2008, pp.24-26), Westley said that while the short-term goal for the club is to establish itself in the capital, he would like to see the concept being introduced at other major cities. “Over the

by Caroline Wilkinson | 20 May 2008

East Cambridgeshire District Council has announced plans to develop a £11.5m leisure centre in Ely and is in negotiations with a number of leisure management firms to secure a 25-year design, build and manage partnership. The scheme has been developed following advice from consultants Strategic Leisure. The development will be funded through council reserves, section 106 funding and income from possible commercial developments on the site. Strategic Leisure has suggested

by Caroline Wilkinson | 19 May 2008

Planning permission has been granted for Charlton Lido in Greenwich, London, to be redeveloped into an open-water scuba diving centre. The project will be privately funded by leisure and residential development firm Open Waters and is expected to cost between £8m and £10m. When complete, the four-storey dive centre will have a 22m-deep, 25m-dive pool, a gym, treatment rooms, exercise studios and a crèche. It will also include a restaurant,

by Tom Walker | 15 May 2008

Bar operator Eclectic, which owns the Po Na Na venues, will open its second Sakura-branded bar in Reading, Berkshire, on May 22. The Bar will replace the company’s former Fez club on the site and will have a capacity to hold 593 revellers over three levels. Sakura has spent £1m on redeveloping and rebranding the venue, which has been designed by Julian Taylor.

by Tom Walker | 08 May 2008

Trinity College has opened its new 30m euro (£24m) sports centre in Dublin. The centre features a 25m, six-lane swimming pool with a moveable fl oor, two sports halls and a 19m climbing wall. Open to students, staff and the local community, the facility also boasts a health and fitness area, an aerobic and dance studio, a sauna, steamroom and treatment rooms for physiotherapy. Funding for the centre came from

by Tom Walker | 07 May 2008

The Leighton House Museum in London's Holland Park is to undergo a £1.3m revamp. The work, which will include upgrading the 19th-century museum’s central heating and electrical services as well as restoring the original decorations, has been funded fully by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The museum will close to the public on 31 October for the duration of the work, and is scheduled to reopen in November

by Tom Walker | 02 May 2008

Guildford Borough Council has named Willmott Dixon as its preferred bidder to construct the proposed £24m Guildford Civic Hall. The new 1,700-capacity venue has been designed by architects Austin-Smith:Lord and the council will now work with the developers to agree final planning, design and costs. A main construction contract is expected to be finalised with Willmott Dixon later this year and the venue is scheduled to host its first events

by Caroline Wilkinson | 02 May 2008

Plans to transform the former 12.8-acre Chelsea Barracks in Westminster, London, into a mixed-use development with hotel and sports facilities have been revised. The development is being carried out by a consortium called Project Blue (Guernsey) Limited (PBGL), a joint venture between Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and CPC Group, a development arm of Candy & Candy. The Candy Brothers, directors of Candy & Candy property design and development