U K
The information below comes from the
UK Activity Report.
Thomas Cook is to relocate its Neilson outdoor holidays business from Gatwick to Brighton Marina, with the creation of more than 100 jobs. 22-Dec-2000
Cannons is to conduct a strategic review of its health and fitness clubs, which could lead to the business being sold. 22-Dec-2000
Clubhaus, the golf course operator, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 21-Dec-2000
Camelot has won the licence to run the National Lottery for the next seven years, having beaten off a rival bid from the People's Lottery. 20-Dec-2000
Whitbread is planning to build a £39m 614-room Travel Inn budget hotel at Heathrow, with the creation of 200 jobs. 20-Dec-2000
West Bromwich Albion has won permission to build a £5.2m replacement stand at the Hawthorns football stadium. 18-Dec-2000
The Football Association is looking to set up a new national football academy in the Midlands to replace the existing facility at Lilleshall, and is seeking a suitable 10-acre site. 18-Dec-2000
Leisure Link is planning to invest £58m rolling out its new range of multimedia amusement machines over the next year. 18-Dec-2000
EasyEverything is planning to invest £20m in the launch of its internet cafe business into the US. 18-Dec-2000
Doncaster Racecourse is planning to transform itself into a world-class venue at a cost of £55m. 15-Dec-2000
Liverpool City Council is to consider plans from Emerald Hotels for the £7m conversion of the former Royal Insurance headquarters in North John Street into a 100-bedroom Irish theme hotel. 14-Dec-2000
British Airways and Thomas Cook have announced plans to merge their scheduled holiday operations into a new joint venture company that will carry 400,000 passengers a year. 14-Dec-2000
First Choice is looking to spend up to £130m on the acquisition of tour operators in continental Europe. 13-Dec-2000
Eldridge Pope is to expand its chain of Toad pubs from 11 sites to 19 over the next few months. 13-Dec-2000
The Theatre Royal in Bristol is planning a £9m refurbishment, and the work will start in January 2003. 12-Dec-2000
Kunick is looking to sell or close its French amusement machines business, in order to focus on the UK. 12-Dec-2000
Betabet.com is planning to raise £1.5m in a flotation on Ofex in order to develop its new online business for independent bookmakers. 11-Dec-2000
Maldon District Council is considering plans from Whitbread and Silver Fern for the development of a 40-bedroom hotel at Maldon Hall Farm, which would create up to 70 jobs. 11-Dec-2000
North East Lincolnshire Council is to support plans for the development of a new football stadium at Great Coates for Grimsby Town. 08-Dec-2000
Aberdeen City Council is to consider plans for a major redevelopment of the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre, but details will not be released until the New Year. 08-Dec-2000
Redbridge Council has approved plans from Discovery Properties for the development of a £20m entertainments complex in Ilford town centre, including 11-screen cinema, restaurants and 86-bedroom hotel. 07-Dec-2000
Suffolk Coastal Council is in discussions with the Felixstowe Pier Trust about the possibility of building a £10m pier in Felixstowe. 07-Dec-2000
De Vere is to buy London's Cavendish Hotel from Granada Compass for £60m, and is now considering plans to sell its Tavern drinks wholesaling business. 07-Dec-2000
Greene King is looking to buy up to 300 pubs from Bass and Whitbread over the next year. 07-Dec-2000
Allerdale Borough Council is to consider plans for the transformation of the former Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Broughton Moor into a leisure park and rally test track. 06-Dec-2000
Aberdeen City Council is considering plans from the Queens Road Development Company for the construction of a tennis centre on farmland at Kingswells, at a cost of up to £12m. 06-Dec-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is to conduct a strategic review of its pubs business, which is expected to lead to the sale of up to 500 outlets in Scotland and the north-east of England. 06-Dec-2000
The Ministry of Defence and the Lottery Commission are to fund the £7.5m expansion of the RAF Hendon Museum, which will allow more historic aircraft to be exhibited. 06-Dec-2000
Glasgow City Council is conducting a feasibility study into the restoration of the Britannia Music Hall in Trongate, and the project could cost up to £14m. 06-Dec-2000
Wandsworth Council is planning to build a £7.5m sports complex at its Barn Elms site. 05-Dec-2000
Belhaven Brewery is looking to spend up to £20m on the expansion of its chain of Scottish pubs, and is interested in gaining a foothold in the north of England. 05-Dec-2000
Leicester University is seeking permission to build a £30m conference centre in Oadby, which could lead to the creation of 370 jobs. 05-Dec-2000
Fuller Smith & Turner is considering plans to expand its retail pub estate by acquiring outlets from Whitbread, and is also due to open three hotels next year in a £23m investment. 04-Dec-2000
Chester City Council is considering plans for the development of a competition swimming pool at the Northgate Arena site. 01-Dec-2000
Epsom & Ewell Council is planning to rebuild the Rainbow leisure centre at a cost of £7.5m, adding new facilities such as a swimming pool, bowling and dance studios. 01-Dec-2000
The Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth has announced plans for the second phase of a £10m revamp, including a glass atrium to link two of the buildings. 01-Dec-2000
Travelchest.com, the online travel business in which Thomson Travel has a 30% stake, has warned that some of its 19 staff may be laid off unless further funding can be arranged. 01-Dec-2000
Oldham Council has unveiled plans for a new £6.5m art gallery to be opened next year, including a library, a performing arts centre and a museum. 30-Nov-2000
Middlesbrough Borough Council has announced plans for the £4.5m restoration of the historic Albert Park. 30-Nov-2000
Yates Group has sold its chain of eight Watling Street Inns to Hardys & Hansons for £12m. 30-Nov-2000
Citex has won a contract to manage the £6m refurbishment of the Concert Hall at the Barbican in London. 29-Nov-2000
Kingston Council is to consider plans from Forte for the development of a 72-room hotel in London Road. 28-Nov-2000
McDonald's has signed up as the first tenant of the Meridian Point project in Cleethorpes, and the developer Maltgrade is in negotiations with a potential operator of the leisure building planned for the site. 28-Nov-2000
Cannons is looking to set up health and fitness clubs in Germany and Spain, and is currently developing a chain of six outlets in the Netherlands at a cost of £30m. 28-Nov-2000
Manchester City Council has approved plans from Riverland for the transformation of the historic Free Trade Hall into a 255-room four-star hotel. 27-Nov-2000
Clubhaus is planning to start opening country clubs in continental Europe over the next year, and is also developing five new sites in the UK. 27-Nov-2000
Merlin Entertainments is to open a £5m tourist attraction in Edinburgh next April called the Edinburgh Dungeon, which will feature villainous characters from Scotland's past and create 50 jobs. 24-Nov-2000
Greene King is planning to sell about 50 pubs to the Maidstone-based London Inn Group. 24-Nov-2000
Bromsgrove District Council has revealed plans for the development of a £1.5m multi-purpose arts centre, which will train students of the performing and creative arts. 24-Nov-2000
Lady in Leisure, the operator of women's health clubs, is to sell a 30% stake in the business to Foldcarve, the Midlands-based investor. 24-Nov-2000
Manchester City Council is discussing plans for the transformation of the Maine Road stadium into a leading rugby and pop concert venue, following the relocation of the football club to the Commonwealth Games Stadium in 2003. 23-Nov-2000
Welsh Development Agency is to award a £6.3m grant to Maincourse for the £35m redevelopment of the Dunlop factory in Brynmawr, Gwent, which will involve a leisure, housing and commercial development around a landscaped reservoir. 23-Nov-2000
Braintree District Council is to consider plans from Freeport Leisure for a £20m leisure development next to its factory shopping site, which will include a 12-screen cinema operated by Cine UK. 23-Nov-2000
Bass is said to be in negotiations with Nomura International and Legal & General Ventures about the sale of its pub estate, which is expected to raise up to £700m. 23-Nov-2000
Amec Developments is in discussions with Cine UK about plans for a new 14-screen cinema at Ashton Moss in Manchester. 22-Nov-2000
Team Lincoln is to create a further 140 jobs at its holiday sales call centres in Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Peterlee and Leeds. 22-Nov-2000
Enterprise Inns is to continue buying three or four pubs a week, and has up to £400m to spend on the expansion of its 2,600-strong network. 22-Nov-2000
Thefirstresort.com is creating a further 200 jobs at its new travel agency call centre in Manchester. 21-Nov-2000
Leicester City Council is to consider plans from Barratt Homes for the development of a 60-bed hotel, 455 houses and community facilities at the Bede Island South industrial site. 21-Nov-2000
The government has selected the Legacy consortium as preferred bidder for the Millennium Dome, which will lead to the creation of a £125m high-tech business park called Knowledge City and up to 14,000 jobs. 21-Nov-2000
All-Hotels.com, the online hotel services company, has raised £3m of venture capital to spend on marketing and IT infrastructure. 21-Nov-2000
Holmes Place is to raise £31m in a rights issue in order to fund 11 new health clubs in the UK and Europe by 2003. 17-Nov-2000
Bradford Metropolitan District Council is considering plans from Landmark Developments and Stannifer Hotels for the development of a 120-bedroom hotel in the Little Germany area of the city. 16-Nov-2000
Rowlandson Organisation has bought the 30-acre lake next to Basildon's Festival Leisure Park, and is seeking joint venture partners to discuss a number of leisure possibilities for the site. 16-Nov-2000
Dungannon Borough Council has approved plans from Staten Island Economic Development Committee of the US to build a £20m golf course, hotel and leisure complex on the Tyrone-Monaghan border, with the creation of about 100 jobs. 16-Nov-2000
Hilton Group is forming a joint venture with Hilton Hotels Corporation to add 10 more Conrad luxury hotels to the existing worldwide chain of 12. 16-Nov-2000
Highland Council is to support a design competition to seek proposals for the £30m redevelopment of Fort William's waterfront into a major new tourist destination. 15-Nov-2000
Torbay Council is to consider plans from Beach Finance & Holdings for the development of a £10m hotel and night club on the sea front at Torquay. 15-Nov-2000
SA Brain has raised £50m from a syndicate of banks to double its number of pubs from the existing 205 by 2004. 15-Nov-2000
Slough Borough Council is to seek partners for the redevelopment of a 29-acre site in the town centre, and the project is expected to include a hotel, conference centre and restaurants. 14-Nov-2000
Ragdale Hall is seeking 50 additional staff for its health hydro at Melton in Leicestershire. 13-Nov-2000
Plymouth City Council is considering plans to close the Plymouth Dome attraction for a revamp, and hopes to attract interest from the private sector. 13-Nov-2000
Paignton Zoo is seeking finance for the development of a £8m glass-dome covered rainforest. 13-Nov-2000
Young & Co has bought 17 pubs in the Bristol area from Smiles Holdings for £5.8m. 13-Nov-2000
Honeycombe Leisure has bought three more pubs in Warrington, Wilmslow and Oldham, taking its total estate to 53. 13-Nov-2000
Hilton Group is negotiating the sale of six regional hotels to Park Plaza Europe of Israel for about £52m. 13-Nov-2000
Pubmaster, the chain of 2,000 pubs, is expected to be acquired by Rotch, the property group, for about £150m. 13-Nov-2000
Topnotch is planning to set up health and fitness clubs in Northampton and at the Tower 42 building in the City of London. 13-Nov-2000
Stratford District Council is considering plans from Braunston Marina to develop a new marina complex for pleasure boats at Stockton, with the creation of 30 jobs. 10-Nov-2000
Giardino is planning to open a further 12 restaurants over the next year to add to the existing 34. 10-Nov-2000
Yates Group is to reduce new pub openings with only 10 additional outlets planned for 2001-02. 10-Nov-2000
The Scottish Tourist Board is to rename itself visitscotland in a restructuring programme designed to boost the country's tourism industry. 10-Nov-2000
Clackmannanshire Council has announced plans to spend £4m on environmental improvements in Alloa, which will involve the creation of new play areas, landscaped gardens and up to 150 jobs. 09-Nov-2000
Arsenal has submitted a planning application to build a £100m 60,000-capacity football stadium near its existing ground in north London, with completion due in August 2004. 09-Nov-2000
Wolverhampton Council is to consider plans from Next Generation Clubs for the development of a sports and leisure complex at the Low Level railway station site, including swimming pools, health suite, restaurant and 60-bedroom hotel. 08-Nov-2000
Clubhaus has acquired Essex Golf & Country Club for £5.5m, and has also announced plans to sell off three of its 22 golf facilities. 08-Nov-2000
London Clubs International has won permission to set up a £5m casino in Northampton, with the creation of 140 jobs. 07-Nov-2000
Eastleigh Borough Council has approved plans from Kickers Indoor Sports for the development of a £0.5m football academy at the Barton Park Industrial Estate. 07-Nov-2000
Marylebone Warwick Balfour is planning to raise £62m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its Malmaison hotels brand and developments in London's Royal Victoria Docks and West India Quay. 06-Nov-2000
Cyberes, the online wholesaler of airline seats to travel agents, is planning to raise £8.5m in a flotation on Aim in order to move into new areas such as hotel reservations and car hire. 06-Nov-2000
The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham has shortlisted three unnamed companies for a tender to build a £100m entertainment village, and the final choice is expected to be announced early next year. 03-Nov-2000
Bourne Leisure Group is planning to spend £3.5m over the next five years to improve facilities at its Orchards Holiday Village in Tendring. 02-Nov-2000
Luminar is to set up a chain of jazz and blues venues in cities across the country, with the first openings in Birmingham, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin. 02-Nov-2000
Manchester City Council is to consider plans from Westport Developments for a £7m casino on Trafford Street. 01-Nov-2000
Southampton City Council has given a brief to consultants PMP and KPMG to discover if there is a potential market for a multi-million pound leisure complex, including ice rink and 4,000-seat conference centre. 01-Nov-2000
Derby City Council is considering plans for the £4m restoration of Derby Arboretum, which is said to be England's oldest park. 01-Nov-2000
Whitbread is planning to sell 10% of its 1,400 restaurants, as part of a restructuring that will reduce the number of Café Rouge and Beefeater outlets but increase the number of Brewsters and Costa Coffee outlets. 01-Nov-2000
City of York Council is considering plans from KeyLand Developments for a £25m scheme to regenerate land near York's National Railway Museum, including shops, offices, a four-star hotel and a residential campus for students. 31-Oct-2000
Gaming Internet is planning to set up a global greyhound racing business next year, having secured interactive TV and WAP media rights from 26 racetracks. 31-Oct-2000
Thomson Travel is seeking a further 200 staff for its new Glasgow call centre, which is due to open next month. 27-Oct-2000
Cardiff County Council has agreed to buy a 4.7-acre site in Cardiff Bay for the development of the proposed £85m Wales Millennium Centre, which will house the Welsh National Opera. 26-Oct-2000
Stanley Leisure is considering plans to set up a floating casino at Princes Dock in Liverpool. 26-Oct-2000
Colchester Council is in discussions with the Eastern Arts Board about the possibility of building a £20m arts centre. 26-Oct-2000
Cardiff County Council has approved plans from Grosvenor Waterside for the construction of a 150-bedroom hotel at Queensgate South in Cardiff Bay, and discussions are underway with an international hotel chain. 26-Oct-2000
Kier has won a £18m contract to build a 123-bedroom hotel at Thorpe Park in Leeds for Shires Inn. 26-Oct-2000
Bath Racecourse has been bought by Northern Racing in a deal worth about £4m, which is expected to lead to investment in customer care and racing facilities. 25-Oct-2000
Torridge District Council is considering plans for the development of a multi-million pound leisure complex at Rydon Park near Holsworthy, which could include a new cinema and hotel. 25-Oct-2000
Portsmouth City Council has shortlisted Heritage Projects and The Entertainment Group as potential operators for the city's Millennium Tower project. 25-Oct-2000
Birmingham City Council is seeking potential developers for a luxury hotel at its Sparkbrook site, as part of a strategy to create a new Asian cultural quarter in the city. 25-Oct-2000
Wrexham Council is to consider plans from Key Properties for the development of a dry ski-slope, toboggan run and holiday chalets on derelict land between Llay and Gresford. 24-Oct-2000
Leisure Travel Group has set up a new headquarters for its travel and tourism division at Manchester Airport, and is now planning to make acquisitions and create a further 30 sales jobs over the coming months. 24-Oct-2000
Everton Football Club is considering plans to build a new 50,000-capacity stadium at Kings Dock in Liverpool, including a cinema, health club, nightclub, bars, restaurants, shops and a hotel. 23-Oct-2000
Dumfries & Galloway Council is looking to spend £1.7m on a new arts, leisure, sport or cultural project in Dumfries, and is seeking ideas for a suitable project. 23-Oct-2000
Whitbread has put its chain of 3,000 pubs up for sale, as part of a strategy to focus on leisure operations such as hotels, restaurants and sports clubs. 20-Oct-2000
Liverpool City Council is discussing the possibility of setting up a national postal museum in the city, using exhibits from a former museum in London. 19-Oct-2000
Whitbread has confirmed plans to build a £7m Travel Inn in the centre of Southampton, which will create up to 100 jobs. 19-Oct-2000
Hartford Group is looking to sell three of its London restaurants and two development sites in Berkshire and Essex. 19-Oct-2000
Capital Shopping Centres is to seek outline planning permission from Renfrew Council for a £200m project to regenerate Braehead, including an indoor ski slope, housing and cinema complex. 17-Oct-2000
Granada Compass has put its hotel operations up for sale following the termination of talks with Accor, and expects to raise at least £3.5bn. 17-Oct-2000
The Barbican Centre in London is to be refurbished, including a £6m improvement to the acoustics of the concert hall, the development of two main entrances and an improved promenade. 17-Oct-2000
Carrick Council is considering plans for the development of a £4m cinema complex at the new National Maritime Museum site near Falmouth, and work is expected to start in the new year. 16-Oct-2000
Hilton Group is in discussions to sell its 27 casinos to Gala, in order to focus on hotels, betting shops and online gaming. 16-Oct-2000
Plymouth City Council has approved plans from David Osborne Estates for a £8.5m leisure development at Derry's Cross, including a 100-bed Travelodge hotel, four restaurants, and a health and fitness suite. 13-Oct-2000
Andras House is to start work on the development of a £60m leisure and residential complex on wasteland in south Belfast by the end of the year, and the project will include a cinema, health club and restaurants. 12-Oct-2000
Bromley Borough Council has approved plans for the development of a multi-million pound leisure complex at Crystal Palace Park, including multiplex cinema, shops, exhibition centre and restaurants. 12-Oct-2000
Marylebone Warwick Balfour has awarded a £20m contract to HBG Construction to build a seven-storey 246-bedroom hotel in Glasgow city centre, due to open in 2002. 11-Oct-2000
Chichester District Council is considering plans for a £7m project to reopen the Roman baths as a tourist attraction. 10-Oct-2000
Coventry City Council is considering plans from the Hauseman Group of the US to convert the 17-storey Telecom House into a £3.5m extended-stay hotel for executives, which could be the first of a proposed chain of 15 in the UK. 10-Oct-2000
Portsmouth City Council is considering plans from IBM and Welbeck Land for a £25m project to build a hotel, offices and tennis centre at North Harbour. 10-Oct-2000
Aberdeen City Council has approved plans for the development of a £3m football stadium at Calder Park for Cove Rangers. 09-Oct-2000
Myhotels is planning to set up a chain of 19 hotels over the next seven years, and has identified potential sites in Glasgow and Brighton to add to its existing hotel in London's Bloomsbury. 09-Oct-2000
Virgin Active has withdrawn from talks to acquire Healthland International, the health club operator with eight clubs in the UK, casting doubt over the future of the South African-owned business. 09-Oct-2000
Plymouth City Council is to sell the Drake cinema site in Union Street for redevelopment into a casino and restaurant complex. 06-Oct-2000
Cambridge City Council and Cambridge University are to consider three potential sites for the development of an ice-skating rink, at a cost of up to £7m. 06-Oct-2000
LA Fitness is to raise £10m in a rights issue in order to speed up the expansion of its chain of fitness centres from 25 clubs to 70 by 2003. 05-Oct-2000
Mezzanine is planning to open 18 more Smollensky's restaurants over the next two years. 05-Oct-2000
Quest Travel, the supplier of worldwide holidays, is setting up a regional headquarters in York with the creation of 20 jobs, and is seeking suitable premises for a call centre. 04-Oct-2000
Tower Hamlets Council has approved plans from Capital & Provident Management for the development of a 1.2m sq ft office, hotel and leisure complex in London's Docklands, while a separate project proposed by Ballymore has also been approved. 04-Oct-2000
Odyssey Trust has announced that 600 jobs will be created when the main arena opens at Belfast's £91m millennium stadium in December. 03-Oct-2000
Torbay Council has given the go-ahead for the £20m regeneration of the waterfront at Torquay, and a planning application for a marina, restaurant and hotel will now be lodged. 03-Oct-2000
Sunseeker International has won planning permission to build a 75,000sq ft factory in Poole to make a new luxury yacht. 02-Oct-2000
Fife Council is proposing plans to redevelop Kirkcaldy's town centre waterfront, including a new swimming pool, multiplex cinema and other leisure facilities. 02-Oct-2000
Down District Council is considering plans from Belfast-based Ravenblack Developments for a £35m investment in Killyleagh, including a new yacht marina, housing and craft centre. 02-Oct-2000
Bagel Street is planning to open 12 new bagel cafes over the next 18 months, to add to the existing three in London. 02-Oct-2000
Stafford Borough Council has approved plans for the development of a £50m cookery theme park at the former St George's Hospital site in Stafford, which could create up to 1,000 jobs. 29-Sep-2000
Sealine International is planning to create up to 35 new jobs at its boat building business in Kidderminster, following an increase in orders for luxury cruisers and yachts. 29-Sep-2000
The Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh has announced plans for a £3m Royal Collection gallery, due to open in 2002. 29-Sep-2000
Manchester City Council is to consider plans for the £12m expansion of the Irish World Heritage Centre, as part of a wider transformation of the Cheetham Hill area. 29-Sep-2000
Derwentside District Council is considering a number of proposals for a £100m leisure, housing and commercial development in Stanley. 27-Sep-2000
Bass is to review the future of up to 1,000 of its 3,000 pubs, following a decline in sales in some of the smaller unbranded outlets. 27-Sep-2000
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is to split itself into three trading divisions - managed pubs, tenanted pubs and brands - in order to exploit its regional strengths in beer and community pubs. 26-Sep-2000
Inventive Leisure is to open Revolution vodka bars in Bristol and Derby this year, taking the chain to 19 outlets. 26-Sep-2000
Havant Borough Council is to consider plans from Grainger Trust for the development of a multi-million pound cinema and restaurant complex in Waterlooville. 26-Sep-2000
Snowdonia National Park Authority is seeking funding to build a £6.5m visitors centre on the summit of Snowdon. 26-Sep-2000
Ladbroke is to close its betting shop administration centre in Gloucester, and about 12 staff will be offered jobs at other sites. 25-Sep-2000
Durham City Council is considering plans from Closegate for the development of a luxury riverside hotel next to the planned £29m Walkergate entertainments complex. 25-Sep-2000
Pizza Hut is planning to expand its chain of restaurants from 424 to 809 by 2010. 25-Sep-2000
Marylebone Warwick Balfour is planning to redevelop Bromley station at a cost of £50m, including multiplex cinema, restaurants and a shopping mall. 25-Sep-2000
Camper & Nicholsons is planning to shed an unspecified number of jobs at its yacht building business in Gosport, following a poor summer. 22-Sep-2000
Jarvis Hotels has bought the 120-bedroom Lakeside Hotel at Swansea Enterprise Park from the Hilton Group for £3.7m, and the property will be refurbished and rebranded as the Jarvis International Swansea. 22-Sep-2000
Hilton Group has put a package of hotels up for sale with a total of 770 bedrooms, including properties in Stoke, Huddersfield and Leeds. 22-Sep-2000
Airtours is acquiring a 50% stake in Hotetur Club of Majorca for £29m, in order to secure hotel accommodation in Spain, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. 21-Sep-2000
Galliford Try has won a £9m contract from Eton Town House Group to transform a former bank in the City of London into a five-star hotel. 21-Sep-2000
Costain has won a £11m contract from BPC Hotels to transform the Princess Court building in Manchester city centre into a 141-bedroom four-star hotel. 21-Sep-2000
Granada Compass is in discussions to sell its hotel portfolio to Accor for about £3bn. 20-Sep-2000
Rank is planning to set up a Hard Rock Casino at the £150m Printworks development in Manchester. 18-Sep-2000
Invicta Leisure is planning to build a £10m Health & Racquet Club in Brentwood next year. 14-Sep-2000
Whitbread has won the go-ahead for a £30m scheme to redevelop Cheltenham's Flowers Brewery site, including leisure and retail facilities. 14-Sep-2000
Chorion is planning to demerge its bars and intellectual property divisions next year, which could make the group vulnerable to a takeover. 14-Sep-2000
Regent Inns is planning to expand its number of Walkabout themed bars from 20 to 50 by 2003, and Jongleurs comedy clubs from eight to 20. 14-Sep-2000
English Partnerships is seeking a development partner for a £115m project to transform Liverpool's Kings Dock, including cinema, bowling, hotel and convention centre. 14-Sep-2000
Commer Group, the Tadcaster-based operator of 75 pubs, has returned to private ownership after buying out a 15% stake owned by NatWest Development Capital. 13-Sep-2000
Nomura International has withdrawn its £105m bid to buy London's Millennium Dome, due to concerns about whether the Dome's assets would be transferred efficiently. 13-Sep-2000
Belgo is planning to open more than 50 Strada pizza and pasta restaurants in the UK over the next four years, and is also looking to expand the Bierodrome format. 13-Sep-2000
Ask Central has announced plans to expand its chain of 93 pizza and pasta restaurants with a further seven this year. 13-Sep-2000
Wingtek, the Plymouth-based builder of revolutionary wing sail yachts, has gone into liquidation. 12-Sep-2000
North Tyneside Council has approved plans from the De Vere group for the development of a 127-bedroom hotel and leisure complex on the North Cobalt Business Park in Wallsend, which will create about 170 jobs. 12-Sep-2000
Groupe Chez Gerard has announced plans to double in size to 40 restaurants over the next two years, including five new outlets later this year. 12-Sep-2000
Probus Estates is to buy Casino de Mallorca, the Spanish casino and leisure resort, for £19m. 12-Sep-2000
Regent Inns is planning to build a £2m pub at the new Glydegate leisure centre development in Bradford, with the creation of 60 jobs. 08-Sep-2000
Queens Moat Houses has raised £37m in a refinancing deal, which will be used to develop marketing alliances and to add 1,200 rooms. 08-Sep-2000
Darlington Football Club is planning to build a new 25,000-capacity stadium at Neasham Road. 07-Sep-2000
Holmes Place is planning to open seven new health and fitness clubs later this year, followed by 18 in 2001 and 14 in 2002. 07-Sep-2000
The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham is planning a £100m expansion to provide leisure and hospitality facilities to visitors, and discussions are taking place with potential developers. 06-Sep-2000
World Golf Systems has raised £3m in a private share placing and plans to open a fully-computerised golf driving range in Watford in November. 06-Sep-2000
Kunick has won a £33m contract to manage the country's leading national sports centres, including Bisham Abbey, Crystal Palace athletics stadium, Lilleshall and the National Water Sports Centre near Nottingham. 06-Sep-2000
North East Lincolnshire Council has approved plans from Kestonbond and P&O for a £45m cinema and leisure development called Millennium Park in Grimsby, with the creation of 800 jobs. 05-Sep-2000
PizzaExpress is planning to open 30 new restaurants in the UK and Ireland by June 2001 to add to the existing 243, while a further 20 will opened abroad. 05-Sep-2000
Virgin Active is to open a £5m health club at Blythe Valley Park in Solihull in spring 2001. 05-Sep-2000
Norwich City Council is planning to build a £5.2m swimming complex and fitness centre at Riverside. 04-Sep-2000
Rank is to sell its chain of 85 Tom Cobleigh pubs to Electra Partners for £90m, in order to reduce debt. 04-Sep-2000
Countrywide Leisure is to relocate its caravan sales centre from Derby to Renishaw, north of Chesterfield, with the loss of up to 20 jobs. 01-Sep-2000
Bromsgrove District Council is to consider plans from Whitbread for the development of a leisure and hotel complex, including a David Lloyd Leisure Health & Fitness Club and a 78-bed Travel Inn. 01-Sep-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is in talks to sell its 11 Pontin's holiday camps to Manor Parcs and its Center Parcs operation to Pierre et Vacances and DB Capital Partners. 01-Sep-2000
Tom Hoskins is inviting offers for its pub estate, and plans to transform itself into a cash shell. 31-Aug-2000
Satrosphere is to relocate its science centre to the former tram sheds on the beachfront in Aberdeen, in order to attract more visitors. 30-Aug-2000
Woodhorn Colliery Museum in Northumberland is seeking funding for a £5m transformation of its facilities. 30-Aug-2000
Airtours is to sell its 50% stake in Costa Crociere, the Italian cruise line business, to its US joint venture partner Carnival for £350m, and the proceeds will be used to expand in the North American leisure market. 29-Aug-2000
Bath & North East Somerset Council has awarded a contract to Ernest Ireland for the construction of the city's £11m spa project, and work will start in September. 28-Aug-2000
Swansea Council is considering a number of options to raise funds for the upgrade of its 58 parks, which could involve making small disposals of land. 28-Aug-2000
Virgin Active is planning to set up a fitness centre at a £20m leisure development being proposed by Glencarron Properties at Nursling near Southampton. 28-Aug-2000
Torridge District Council is to seek grants for a £20m investment programme to regenerate Bideford over the next five years, and projects include the restoration of the Kathleen and May ship, flood defence work and quay enhancements. 25-Aug-2000
Cambridge City Council has approved plans from Whitecliff Properties for a £20m sports, leisure and industry park at the former cement works off Coldham's Lane, including hotel, car showroom, fitness centre and industrial units. 25-Aug-2000
The National Lottery Commission has rejected Camelot's bid to continue to operate the lottery, and is now expected to accept a rival bid from The People's Lottery, provided that certain financial guarantees can be provided. 24-Aug-2000
Advantage West Midlands has announced a £2.8m grant for the restoration of Ditherington Flax Mill in Shrewsbury, which is thought to be the world's first iron-framed building. 22-Aug-2000
Brakspear is to reconsider its involvement in the Honeypot Inns pub joint venture, due to a disappointing financial performance. 22-Aug-2000
Broxtowe Borough Council is to consider revised plans from Geo Atkins for the development of a £15m hotel, restaurant and health club near Ilkeston, with the creation of 100 jobs. 21-Aug-2000
Plymouth City Council is considering plans from Rowe & Co of Redruth for the development of a 214-bedroom hotel at a former warehouse in Coxside. 21-Aug-2000
Vinopolis has announced plans to boost the fortunes of Wineworld London by replacing the board of directors, extending the opening times and running tutored wine-tasting sessions. 21-Aug-2000
Eldridge Pope has acquired 10 managed pubs from Lionheart for £10m, taking its estate to 204. 21-Aug-2000
St Albans District Council has approved plans from Simons Developments and CineUK for the construction of a multiplex cinema and restaurant centre in Bricket Road. 18-Aug-2000
Menzies Hotels is looking to buy more UK hotels, having secured extra funding of up to £30m from BancBoston Capital. 18-Aug-2000
McDonald's is planning to open 11 drive-through restaurants at towns in the North East, with each employing about 75 people. 18-Aug-2000
Thomas Cook has raised £52m from the sale of its 7% stake in First Choice to Spanish hotel group Barcelo, while First Choice has announced the £0.5m acquisition of Taurus Tours, the Swiss package holiday company. 18-Aug-2000
Leisure Parcs has announced plans to open six casinos in Blackpool in order to transform the town into a major gambling centre, and its proposals have been submitted to the Gambling Review Body. 18-Aug-2000
De Vere Group is to open a £7m Greens Health and Fitness club in Stoke in October, as part of a £100m project to build 18 clubs nationwide. 16-Aug-2000
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is facing the prospect of a takeover approach from Noble House Leisure, which has the backing of private equity group Botts & Company. 15-Aug-2000
Inverness Caledonian Thistle has revealed plans for a multi-million pound waterfront leisure development, including a conference centre, two hotels, offices, health studio and a provision to house the proposed Highland Soccer Academy. 14-Aug-2000
Fitness First is planning to open its third Northern Ireland outlet in October, at the Boucher Road's Lislea retail park, and further sites are being sought. 14-Aug-2000
Swansea Council has approved plans from Scottish & Newcastle for a £11m 116-bedroom luxury hotel, which will create 200 jobs, and plans have also been unveiled for a DIY superstore on land near B&Q's existing store in Carmarthen Road. 14-Aug-2000
The Centre for Visual Arts in Cardiff is to close in November with the loss of 40 jobs, due to low visitor numbers. 14-Aug-2000
JD Wetherspoon is looking to set up about 50 pubs in Ireland over the next five years, with the first opening in Ballymena. 14-Aug-2000
Esporta is planning to double the size of its chain of health and fitness clubs from 23 to 46 by 2002. 14-Aug-2000
Rodime is raising £29m in a rights issue in order to support the recently-announced purchase of Littlewoods Leisure, and will change its name to Sportech. 14-Aug-2000
Cannons has announced plans to build 29 more fitness clubs by 2003 at a cost of £90m, including four in the Netherlands. 11-Aug-2000
Derby County has won approval from Erewash Borough Council to build a £5.5m football academy at Oakwood. 11-Aug-2000
Groupe Chez Gerard has sold its remaining four Richoux restaurants to Madisons Coffee for £2.7m. 11-Aug-2000
Cherwell District Council is to consider plans from London-based Intercounty Properties for the redevelopment of Banbury's Menvier Swain site into a leisure centre, with swimming pool, gymnasium and possibly a bowling alley. 11-Aug-2000
Citygrove Leisure is planning to build a £30m leisure facility in Hove, including multiplex cinema, bars, restaurants and sports centre. 10-Aug-2000
Royal Brierley Crystal is to go ahead with plans to open a tourist centre near Dudley Zoo, called The Royal Brierley Experience. 10-Aug-2000
SFI is planning to open a further 25 pubs this year, and will develop the recently-acquired Slug & Lettuce brand alongside Litten Tree and Bar Med. 09-Aug-2000
Hull City Council has appointed Arup Associates to design a £36m community stadium for the city, and the plans are expected to be ready in six weeks. 09-Aug-2000
Scarborough Borough Council is considering plans from Crownville Estates for the £25m redevelopment of the former Butlin's holiday camp at Filey, including 300 holiday homes, sports facilities, a hotel, a conference centre and shops. 09-Aug-2000
Forth Ports is set to announce plans to build a four-star hotel at Dundee harbour, as part of the £30m City Quay project. 09-Aug-2000
The Youth Hostel Association is to relocate its headquarters from St Albans to Matlock in Derbyshire, creating 50 new jobs. 09-Aug-2000
Parisa has announced plans to create 1,200 jobs over the next 18 months by opening another 30 cafe bars. 09-Aug-2000
Preston Borough Council has approved plans from Club Carrefour and Complex Development Projects for the development of a £3m health club in Portway, with the creation of 30 jobs. 02-Aug-2000
West Bromwich Albion is planning to set up a £1.4m football training ground in Great Barr, having bought a 46-acre site. 02-Aug-2000
Holmes Place, the health clubs operator, is planning to buy out the minority stakes in its two Spanish operations - Europolis and Les Corts - for £2.7m. 01-Aug-2000
Champneys is planning to open a network of luxury health clubs across Europe, funded by a flotation on Aim or private equity. 31-Jul-2000
Holmes Place is to set up a health and fitness club at MEPC's Two Rivers development in Staines, while Warners will open a 10-screen cinema. 31-Jul-2000
Blue Anchor Leisure is planning to franchise its business to create new theme parks and tourist centres across the country. 31-Jul-2000
Torridge District Council is looking at possible sites in Bideford to set a national ceramics centre, which will include a museum, a national research database and education facilities. 31-Jul-2000
Nomura International has announced plans for the £800m transformation of London's Millennium Dome into an amusement park, and its consortium with Sony has been selected as the government's preferred bidder. 28-Jul-2000
JD Wetherspoon has bought 10 Lloyds No 1 pubs from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries for undisclosed terms. 28-Jul-2000
Ambishus Pub Company is considering a takeover approach from its non-executive directors. 27-Jul-2000
John Mowlem has won a £17m contract from United Racecourses to redevelop Sandown Park racecourse, including the refurbishment of the main stand. 26-Jul-2000
Virgin Active is planning to set up a fitness centre at the Great Northern Warehouse development in Manchester. 26-Jul-2000
Culver is planning to raise £20m in a flotation of its World Travel Holdings travel services division. 25-Jul-2000
The Football Association is linking up with the government to invest £200m in local football over the next four years, including all-weather surfaces and changing rooms. 25-Jul-2000
The Horsham Arts Centre is to undergo a £5.2m refurbishment, under plans being prepared by LA Architects and the local council. 25-Jul-2000
Taylor Woodrow has won a contract to build a new £20m 16,000 seater stand at West Ham United's Upton Park football stadium. 25-Jul-2000
Parisa has acquired six Via Vita cafes from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, and is expected to convert them to its own format. 25-Jul-2000
Ellesmere Port Boat Museum is planning a £1.3m refurbishment in order to improve its indoor attractions and open another floor. 25-Jul-2000
Springs Health Hydro of Packington is planning a £5m expansion of facilities at its Leicestershire health farm, and the contract has been awarded to Birch Construction. 19-Jul-2000
St Modwen Properties and British Waterways have revealed plans to redevelop land next to Stoke-on-Trent's canal system, as part of the £50m Festival Waters project that could create 3,000 new jobs. 19-Jul-2000
Sheffield City Council is to create a £4m park at Deep Pits, in a 10-year scheme. 19-Jul-2000
St James Securities and Landmark Development Projects have announced plans to build a £70m 23-storey twin-tower skyscraper in Leeds, including hotel, offices and apartments. 18-Jul-2000
Ebookers.com is in negotiations to raise £26m in a private share placing, in order to fund the expansion of its online travel agency. 18-Jul-2000
Great Southern Hotels is planning to build a £12m 126-bedroom hotel in Londonderry. 18-Jul-2000
Bradford Metropolitan District Council is considering plans from Scotfield for the development of a health and fitness centre on Baildon's Butterfields estate, with the creation of about 60 jobs. 14-Jul-2000
Southend Council is in discussions with Miller Developments and Laing Homes about plans to build a 50-bedroom hotel and fitness centre on the town's derelict gasworks site. 14-Jul-2000
Queens Moat Houses has sold the Oxford Moat House to Paramount, the securitised hotel vehicle backed by Alchemy Partners, for £11m. 14-Jul-2000
Colchester Council is to consider plans from Frincon for the £4m redevelopment of the former Trebor factory site into a fitness centre and business park, including car showroom, offices and light industry. 13-Jul-2000
Enterprise Inns is acquiring the Famous Pub Co and its chain of 20 outlets for £3.8m, in order to expand its presence in the south-east. 13-Jul-2000
Jurys Doyle is looking to spend about £76m expanding its hotels business in the UK and the US, starting with a 240-bedroom hotel in Croydon. 12-Jul-2000
Swindon Borough Council has approved plans from Bride Hall Developments for the construction of a £3m Lodge Inn hotel on the corner of Fleming Way and Prince's Street. 12-Jul-2000
Rank is in discussions to sell its holiday business, which includes Warner, Oasis, Haven and Butlin's, to Bourne Leisure Group for up to £700m. 11-Jul-2000
First Choice has opened its new £5m Travel Choice Direct call centre in Kilmarnock with 200 staff, and a further 200 jobs will be created over the coming months. 11-Jul-2000
Southend Council is to consider plans from Southend United for the development of a £46m leisure park, including a £12m 16,000-capacity football stadium, a hotel and a cinema. 11-Jul-2000
Whitbread is forming a £80m joint venture with Punch Taverns to build 50 Travel Inn budget hotels on Punch pub sites. 07-Jul-2000
Gedling Borough Council has approved plans from Progeny Properties to build a fitness centre at Victoria Park in Netherfield. 07-Jul-2000
Daventry District Council has approved plans to add 40 rooms and a conference facility to the Hellidon Lakes Country Club in Northamptonshire. 07-Jul-2000
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries is planning to sell 172 pubs in the Midlands and the North of England to InnSpired of Trowbridge. 07-Jul-2000
Braintree District Council is to consider plans from Freeport Leisure for the development of a £5m swimming complex in Braintree. 06-Jul-2000
Perth & Kinross Council is to consider plans from Scot Tours UK for the development of a £8m hotel and tourist attraction to the north of Perth, with the creation of 150 jobs. 05-Jul-2000
Marylebone Warwick Balfour is planning a £300m development at the Royal Victoria Docks in London, including four hotels, a business centre and apartments. 04-Jul-2000
The government is considering plans to partially privatise parks, in order to make urban areas more attractive and encourage people to stay in cities. 03-Jul-2000
Lancashire County Council has approved plans for the development of a hotel, sports centre, timeshare apartments and a pub and restaurant at a former quarry in Warton, which will create about 200 jobs. 03-Jul-2000
Ipswich Town has awarded a £3.8m contract to Jackson to build a 4,500-seat stand at its Portman Road football stadium. 29-Jun-2000
Farthing Holidays, the Leicestershire-based travel agency, has gone into liquidation, putting 60 jobs at risk. 29-Jun-2000
Newcastle United is planning to build a new £8m sports academy in the east end of the city. 28-Jun-2000
Yarmouth Pleasure Beach is planning a £10m scheme to build a cinema, bowling alley and new restaurants that will enable it open all year, with the creation of 200 jobs. 28-Jun-2000
Fuller Smith & Turner is to invest about £10m developing a 64-room hotel and pub in the City of London. 28-Jun-2000
Rangers, the Glasgow football club, is considering plans to raise about £50m in a full London listing this summer, and some of the proceeds will be used to acquire feeder clubs outside Europe. 27-Jun-2000
Hyndburn Borough Council is to consider plans for the development of a £3m cinema and bowling complex in Accrington. 27-Jun-2000
Hunters Leisure is to spend £2m converting two sites in Folkestone and North London into fitness clubs, and is seeking additional sites in the south-east. 26-Jun-2000
Charlton Athletic is to raise a further £5.7m in a share placing, and the proceeds will be spent on new players. 26-Jun-2000
Hardys & Hansons, the brewing and pubs group, is to spend £4.2m on acquisitions and new sites this year and a further £2.9m on redevelopments. 26-Jun-2000
Swansea Council is to consider plans from B&R Leisure Developments for the development of a £20m Welsh National Marine Aquarium at the former Spontex factory site. 26-Jun-2000
Greene King is planning to expand its chain of 117 Hungry Horse pubs by seeking suitable sites in the South and the Midlands. 23-Jun-2000
Liverpool Football Club is considering the possibility of building a new 70,000-capacity stadium at nearby Stanley Park. 23-Jun-2000
Fife Council is considering plans for the development of a leisure park at Cluny Clays near Kirkcaldy, including a farm-based theme park, golf course and garden centre. 23-Jun-2000
Luxury Hotels Management is converting the former West of England Eye Infirmary in Exeter into a £26m 46-bedroom hotel, with the creation of about 50 jobs. 23-Jun-2000
Belhaven Brewery has bought four more pubs in Ayr for £2.2m, funded by a share placing. 23-Jun-2000
Enterprise Inns has sold 35 of the pubs acquired from Whitbread's former Swallow estate to PPM Ventures for £50m. 21-Jun-2000
East Staffordshire Borough Council is considering a £10m plan from Jeff Mason Design Associates to build a leisure complex at the Barton Turns Marina near Lichfield, including a hotel, restaurants and the creation of 150 jobs. 20-Jun-2000
Malvern Hills District Council is considering plans for the development of a £5m hotel and hydro health spa in Malvern, with the creation of up to 150 jobs. 20-Jun-2000
Honeycombe Leisure has bought three more pubs in Matlock, Market Drayton and Stockton on Tees at a total cost of £1.3m. 16-Jun-2000
Yates Brothers Wine Lodges is planning to open up to 30 outlets this year and is refurbishing a further 40. 16-Jun-2000
Wilson Bowden is seeking permission to build a £15m four-star hotel at East Midlands Airport, which would create up to 200 jobs. 16-Jun-2000
Fife Council has approved plans for the development of a £3m hotel and leisure complex in Kirkcaldy, with the creation of up to 50 jobs. 16-Jun-2000
The University of Aberdeen is considering plans to transform its historic Marischal College into a £20m, 200-room hotel, creating 100 jobs. 16-Jun-2000
The St Ermin's Hotel in Westminster has been put up for sale by its US owner Strategic Hotel Capital, and is expected to fetch up to £70m. 16-Jun-2000
Merthyr Tydfil Council is to consider plans from the owners of Merthyr Tydfil Football Club for the development of a £105m sports village, including multi-purpose hall, multiplex cinema, bowling centre, and swimming pool. 14-Jun-2000
South Cambridgeshire District Council has approved plans for the £20m redevelopment of the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, which will increase the display area by 40%. 13-Jun-2000
Hilton Group is planning to set up a Ladbroke casino in Sunderland with the creation of more than 100 jobs, and is seeking a suitable site in the city centre. 12-Jun-2000
RF Hotels is planning to build a £50m luxury resort in Sardinia, including a five-star hotel and two golf courses. 12-Jun-2000
Leicester City Council has revealed plans for the development of a £60m cultural quarter in the city centre by 2008, which will involve moving the Phoenix Arts Centre, the City Gallery, the Haymarket Theatre and the central library. 12-Jun-2000
Carlisle City Council is considering plans for the £40m redevelopment of Crosby-on-Eden airfield, to create a 300-bedroom five-star hotel and 290 jobs. 12-Jun-2000
First Choice is in discussions to acquire a stake in Barcelo, the Spanish tour operator and hotels group. 09-Jun-2000
Leicester City is to sell a 9.9% stake in the football club to NTL, in a £12m deal that will raise funds for new players and improved training facilities. 09-Jun-2000
Page & Moy is seeking 50 additional staff at its Leicester-based travel agency, in order to expand its call centre for the sale of holidays through the internet. 09-Jun-2000
Luminar is planning a £4m redevelopment of the former Co-op store on Lincoln's Silver Street later this year, including a nightclub and pub and the creation of more than 100 jobs. 09-Jun-2000
Airtours is to relocate up to 1,200 jobs to Rochdale, having decided to move its Airtours Holidays business from Helmshore and its Going Places subsidiary from Surrey. 08-Jun-2000
Jarvis Hotels is looking to sell ten of its smaller hotels in order to raise £17m. 08-Jun-2000
Whitbread is to add 1,000 rooms to its budget Travel Inn hotel brand under a management agreement with RoadChef, and about 13 RoadChef lodges will become Travel Inns by July. 07-Jun-2000
Redcar Racecourse has received a takeover approach from Seahorse Group, a new shell company that is aiming to build a new 537-acre course outside Redcar. 06-Jun-2000
Mersey Docks & Harbour has unveiled plans for a £200m project to redevelop nearly two miles of derelict dockland north of Liverpool's Pier Head, including apartments, cafes, a water sports centre, and a floating hotel. 06-Jun-2000
Paddy Power of Ireland is planning to move into the UK market by opening betting shops in large city centres and through the launch of an online betting service. 05-Jun-2000
Colchester Council is considering plans from Frincon for the development of a new health and fitness centre at the former Trebor factory site, which would create 60 jobs. 05-Jun-2000
Macdonald Hotels has announced plans to build and operate up to 10 four-star hotels across the country, in a £100m partnership with Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank Development Capital. 02-Jun-2000
Preston North End is to raise £7.5m in a share issue in order to fund the redevelopment of its Deepdale football stadium. 01-Jun-2000
Bass has announced plans to invest £25m in a new 241-bedroom hotel at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, which is scheduled to open in February 2002. 01-Jun-2000
Stratford District Council is considering plans from the Bird Group and the Odyssey Group for the development of a £4m health and fitness club on the outskirts of Stratford. 01-Jun-2000
Old English Inns is planning to expand its chain of 194 pubs with 60 new outlets over the next five years. 31-May-2000
William Hill is to move its offshore tax-free betting site from the Isle of Man to Antigua, in order to avoid paying 6% tax on bets placed by customers from mainland Britain. 31-May-2000
Diageo has submitted plans to Perth & Kinross Council to expand Gleneagles Hotel, with 60 new bedrooms and new spa and conference facilities. 30-May-2000
Thomson Travel has bought a £1.2m option to acquire a 10% stake in Travelchest, the online travel agency that is planning to open a flagship store in Surrey. 30-May-2000
The Football Association is to relocate its London headquarters from Lancaster Gate to larger premises in Soho. 30-May-2000
London Clubs International has won permission to open a casino in Southend, and plans to submit three more applications in other regions later this year. 26-May-2000
Coral is to launch a betting service for WAP mobile phones through its Eurobet division. 26-May-2000
Airtours is planning to reduce its operations in Belgium, withdraw from the timeshare market, and release capital by selling its freeholds on resort hotels. 26-May-2000
Kunick has announced plans to launch the next generation of gaming machines for pubs, which will include internet access, shopping, holidays, news and an e-mail facility. 26-May-2000
Derby City Council is to consider plans for the development of a £12m viewing tower and a £20m space study centre at the University of Derby. 25-May-2000
Marina Developments is to operate a new marina at Chatham in Kent, which will be part of a leisure and retail development featuring a multiplex cinema, waterfront bars and restaurants. 25-May-2000
Ambishus Pub Company is planning to add 10 leasehold pubs a year to its existing chain of 61. 24-May-2000
Yorkshire County Cricket Club is planning a £10m reconstruction of its ground in Leeds, including a new 7,000-seat stand. 24-May-2000
Amec has reached agreement with Durham City Council for the £21m transformation of a city centre site into an entertainment and leisure area. 24-May-2000
Swindon Town Football Club is seeking potential sites for the development of a new stadium. 24-May-2000
Concepts & Cuisine, the owner of the Shimla Pinks chain of upmarket Indian restaurants, has been placed in administration. 24-May-2000
Fuller Smith & Turner is to sell the Master Robert Hotel in west London to a private company for £6.7m, following a review of its hotel and pub estate. 24-May-2000
Morrison Construction is forming a £140m alliance with Thistle Hotels to build up to 10 hotels in the UK and Ireland over the next five years. 23-May-2000
Freedom Direct is planning to double the size of its holiday call centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne over the next six months, with the creation of an unspecified number of jobs. 23-May-2000
Anglo Properties is to launch a £50m redevelopment of the canal side Botany Bay area of Chorley, Lancashire, in July, which will involve office, leisure and hotel facilities and the creation of 600 jobs. 22-May-2000
Portsmouth City Council has approved plans from Diamond Property Holdings for the development of a £15m 100-bedroom hotel in the city centre, which will create up to 100 jobs. 22-May-2000
First Choice is to form a £64m European cruise joint venture with Miami-based Royal Caribbean, and Royal Caribbean will acquire a £200m stake in First Choice. 19-May-2000
De Vere Group is considering plans to expand its Village Leisure hotels business into continental Europe. 18-May-2000
Ninth Floor is planning to float Swansea City football club on Aim in September, in order to raise funds for new players and development of the new Morfa stadium. 18-May-2000
Airtours has sold its 3% stake in First Choice, prompting speculation that it may be interested in a merger with C&N Touristic of Germany. 17-May-2000
Enterprise Inns has bought 185 pubs from Whitbread for £115m, including 145 managed pubs and 38 tenancies mainly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. 17-May-2000
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is planning a £60m redevelopment of Bridlington marina and harbour, and plans to shortlist six potential developers later this year. 17-May-2000
RJB Mining has submitted plans to South Derbyshire District Council for the development of a hotel, golf course and business park at a former opencast mine in Swadlincote. 16-May-2000
De Vere Group and Birch Developments are planning a £6m development at the former Byford site in Leicester, including a Greens Health & Leisure Club and several business units. 16-May-2000
Scottish & Newcastle has drawn up a shortlist of bidders for the sale of its Center Parcs holiday village business, and the list includes CVC Capital Partners, Compass Partners, West Private Equity and Pierre et Vacances. 15-May-2000
Wandsworth Borough Council is considering plans from Parkview of Hong Kong for a £500m scheme to redevelop Battersea Power Station, including hotels, theatres, a multiplex cinema, and the creation of about 5,000 jobs. 15-May-2000
The Jorvik Viking Centre in York is to undergo a £4.8m transformation later this year, in order to enhance the museum's exhibits with modern technology. 12-May-2000
Knowsley Council is to help fund the development of a £6.4m leisure centre in Halewood, including swimming pool and sports courts. 12-May-2000
Granada is linking up with Hilton International and Accor to launch an internet-based hotel booking service. 11-May-2000
Airtours is planning to invest £100m in e-commerce activities over the next three years, and expects to make savings of £20m a year through a reduction in travel agent's commission and brochure costs. 11-May-2000
South Lanarkshire Council has approved plans for the development of a £6.6m 10,000-capacity football stadium for Hamilton Academical. 11-May-2000
Peel Holdings has announced plans to build a £13m leisure and residential development in Altrincham town centre, including a private health club, restaurants and bars. 11-May-2000
HBG Construction has won a £7.4m contract to build a museum for the history of London's docks at a warehouse on West India quay, in a project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. 10-May-2000
Airtours is considering plans to bid for LTU, the German tour operator, but may face a rival offer from Rewe. 09-May-2000
Lastminute.com is forming a joint venture with Tourvest to set up a South African internet travel business, and is making similar deals in Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the Netherlands. 09-May-2000
Fitness First has submitted plans for the development of a fitness centre in Exeter city centre. 09-May-2000
Blaby District Council has approved plans from Swallow Hotels for the development of a multi-million pound four-star hotel at Grove Park near Enderby. 09-May-2000
John Mowlem is unveiling plans for a £10m leisure complex in Lichfield, including a Holiday Inn Express hotel, a fitness centre and the creation of 300 jobs. 09-May-2000
Luminar, the restaurants and nightclubs company, is planning to spend £30m opening 24 outlets over the next year. 05-May-2000
Whitbread is to invest £22m in Scotland with the creation of 500 jobs, and plans include a David Lloyd tennis centre, two new Pizza Huts and a Brewer's Fayre pub. 05-May-2000
Cotswold District Council has approved plans to double the size of the Cotswold Motor Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water, including a new conference and training centre. 05-May-2000
Taylor Woodrow has won a £10m contract to build the second phase of Doncaster's Earth Centre science project, which will include a theme park. 04-May-2000
Allerdale Borough Council has approved plans from a local businessman for the development of a £10m luxury hotel and stables near Workington, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 04-May-2000
Scottish & Newcastle has started seeking potential buyers for its eight Pontin's holiday centres, which are expected to raise about £30m. 03-May-2000
MeanFiddler is planning to raise £2.8m by floating its online music business on Aim later this month, and the new funding will enable the company to broadcast concerts on the internet. 03-May-2000
Slug & Lettuce is in merger talks with Po Na Na to create a combined chain of 80 bar outlets. 03-May-2000
Liverpool Football Club has agreed a £21m sponsorship deal with Reebok, and the proceeds will be used to develop its youth academy and to improve the Anfield stadium. 03-May-2000
Wembley is forming a joint venture with a number of music promoters to broadcast concerts from Wembley Arena on the internet and on TV. 03-May-2000
Derby City Council has approved plans for the development of a £10m Virgin Active fitness centre at the site of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. 02-May-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is planning to expand its chain of Premier Lodges budget hotels from under 100 to 148, and expects to create 1,500 jobs by next year. 28-Apr-2000
Swindon Borough Council has approved plans from M4 Estates for the development of a £8m 120-bed Holiday Inn Express hotel near junction 16 of the M4 motorway, with the creation of 46 jobs. 28-Apr-2000
Bourne Leisure Group has put the Southern Leisure Lakeside Village caravan park near Chichester up for sale for about £4.2m, raising the prospect of alternative housing or commercial development on the site. 28-Apr-2000
Golden Tulip, the Netherlands-based hotel consortium, is planning to recruit 90 more UK hotels by 2003, in a major expansion of its room booking system. 28-Apr-2000
Sunderland Council is to consider plans from Midlands-based developer Ingleby for the construction of a £7.5m hotel by the River Wear, with the creation of 150 jobs. 27-Apr-2000
City of York Council is to consider plans from Harrison Developments of Malton for the development of a £10m tennis and leisure centre in the north of the city. 27-Apr-2000
Macdonald Hotels has won permission to build a 111-room hotel in Sheffield's university quarter. 27-Apr-2000
Regent Inns, the operator of pubs and Australian theme bars, is planning to open 50 new venues over the next three years. 25-Apr-2000
Littlewoods is considering plans to sell Littlewoods Leisure, its pools and betting division, for about £250m. 25-Apr-2000
Hilton is forming an alliance with Citron Press to provide paperback books in its hotel rooms. 25-Apr-2000
Chelmsford Borough Council is considering plans for a new marina and hotel at the 98-acre Chelmer Waterside site, as part of the redevelopment of the town centre. 25-Apr-2000
Abertay University in Dundee has announced a £3m plan to redevelop its campus, including a new student centre with catering and fitness facilities. 25-Apr-2000
Gloucestershire County Council and Forest of Dean District Council are planning to set up a new management trust for the £1.3m development of the 19th Century Lydney Docks as a tourist attraction. 20-Apr-2000
Sports Internet, the betting and internet services company, is planning to set up a call centre in Harrogate, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 20-Apr-2000
Luton Borough Council is planning to build a £4m swimming pool and fitness centre to replace the Wardown Centre. 20-Apr-2000
The Pensthorpe Estate, the 460-acre tourist attraction near Fakenham that includes the Pensthorpe Waterfowl Trust, has been put up for sale for £2.6m. 19-Apr-2000
Rank has bought the London Park Tower Casino from London Clubs International for an initial £14m, in order to expand its Grosvenor Casinos division. 18-Apr-2000
The Tate Gallery is forming a joint venture with New York's Museum of Modern Art to set up an e-commerce company to generate revenues from a new web site that will display parts of their exhibitions. 18-Apr-2000
Peterborough Greyhound Stadium has announced a £1.5m plan to expand the grandstand, which will create 40 new jobs. 18-Apr-2000
Yorkshire Agricultural Enterprises has announced plans to build a new £2.2m exhibition hall at Harrogate's Great Yorkshire Showground. 18-Apr-2000
Virgin Active is to set up new health and fitness clubs in Northampton, Islington and Rayleigh, and negotiations are under way to acquire sites in eight other locations. 17-Apr-2000
Wolverhampton Council and Miller Developments have announced plans for a £3.7m development on St George's Ringway, including a 60-bedroom budget hotel, houses and car showroom. 14-Apr-2000
Aberdeen City Council is said to be planning to sell part of the Balgownie playing fields to a developer for the construction of a £25m stadium and leisure complex. 14-Apr-2000
Old Monk Company is planning to focus on the development of its chain of Springbok sports bars, having broken off talks to acquire the Slug & Lettuce chain of 32 outlets. 13-Apr-2000
Maldon District Council is considering plans for the development of a £2.5m bowling and snooker centre on land near Maldon Town Football Club. 12-Apr-2000
The government is planning to relax the licensing laws, which will enable some pubs to open 24 hours a day. 11-Apr-2000
Dragons Health Clubs is in merger talks with an unnamed company, which could lead to an expansion programme to open six clubs a year. 11-Apr-2000
William Hill is planning a flotation later this year, having decided against spinning off its telephone and internet betting operations. 10-Apr-2000
Angus Council is considering plans for the expansion of the Carnoustie Golf Course Hotel, with the creation of 20 new jobs. 10-Apr-2000
SA Brain has bought nine pubs in the West of England in a £5m deal, as part of a strategy to expand its chain from 200 to 400 over the next five years. 10-Apr-2000
Birmingham City Council is considering plans for a £7m revamp of Handsworth Park, to provide a new boathouse and leisure facilities. 10-Apr-2000
West Oxfordshire District Council has approved plans for the conversion of a historic mansion at Heythrop Park into a 174-bedroom luxury hotel, with the creation of 200 jobs. 07-Apr-2000
Aberdeen City Council is considering plans from the Queen's Road Development Company and Next Generation Clubs for the development of a £12m sports and fitness club at Kingswells, which could create more than 100 jobs. 07-Apr-2000
Cannock Chase Council is considering plans for the development of a 60-bedroom hotel with leisure facilities at Bridgtown. 07-Apr-2000
Newark & Sherwood District Council is considering plans from Caprise Holdings for the development of a £2m leisure centre in Newark, including bowling, bingo, health fitness studios and a restaurant. 07-Apr-2000
The government is to provide £75m of funding for the creation of 300 new community sports and arts facilities over the next two years. 06-Apr-2000
Fulham Football Club has submitted revised plans for the redevelopment of Craven Cottage into a 30,000-seater stadium. 06-Apr-2000
Ashfield District Council is in talks with a number of developers about plans to build an 80-bed hotel at a 20-acre site on the edge of Sutton-in-Ashfield. 06-Apr-2000
Glasgow City Council is planning to restore the historic Kibble Palace at the Botanic Gardens, and expects to secure a £2.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 06-Apr-2000
Thomson Travel has rejected a £1.3bn bid from C&N Touristic, the German travel company aiming to create the largest tourism group in Europe. 05-Apr-2000
Leeds Sporting, the owner of Leeds United, is forming a subsidiary to acquire a 9.9% stake in Oldham Athletic, allowing the two clubs to jointly fund Oldham's youth development scheme. 05-Apr-2000
The British Horseracing Board has approved plans for the development of a racecourse at Pembrey near Llanelli, with fixtures starting in 2002. 05-Apr-2000
Clubhaus, the golf club operator, is considering plans to set up stand-alone health and fitness clubs. 05-Apr-2000
The British Horseracing Board is to support plans by Wiggins to build a new £50m London race course, sited at Fairlop Water, Redbridge. 04-Apr-2000
Granada's Meridien Hotels & Resorts division is forming an alliance with Nikko Hotels International, which will involve merging their sales, marketing and reservation resources. 04-Apr-2000
Paramount, the Chester-based pub operator, is to undergo a strategic review, prompting speculation that the business will be sold off. 31-Mar-2000
Rangers, the Glasgow-based football club, is to raise £53m in a rights issue, in order to eliminate debt, complete its training academy and buy new players. 31-Mar-2000
Northwich Victoria is planning to sell its Drill Field football ground and move to a new 6,000-capcity stadium at Moss Farm. 31-Mar-2000
Greenalls is planning to build a £8m 98-bedroom hotel with leisure facilities in Bury. 30-Mar-2000
Exeter City Council has unveiled three alternative proposals for the multi-million pound regeneration of Exeter Quay, in order to provide a hotel and other facilities for local residents and tourists. 30-Mar-2000
LA Fitness is forming a joint venture with Bupa and Video Networks to set up a health and lifestyle channel on digital TV. 29-Mar-2000
North East Lincolnshire Council is considering plans to transfer a number of leisure facilities over to the private sector, including Grimsby and Cleethorpes' leisure centres, Scartho Baths and Grimsby Auditorium. 28-Mar-2000
The British Horseracing Board is considering plans to develop a new racecourse at the former HMS Daedalus site in Lee-on-the-Solent. 27-Mar-2000
Gwynedd Council is to consider plans from WJ Developments for a £12m dockside scheme in Caernarfon, including cinema, theatre, pub, hotel, aquarium, museum and art gallery. 27-Mar-2000
Ask Central is planning to open up to 25 pizza and pasta restaurants this year to add to the existing 87. 24-Mar-2000
Halton Borough Council is to launch a bid to house the proposed £5m National Rugby League Museum in Widnes. 24-Mar-2000
Airtours is creating 65 new jobs at its Panorama Holidays call centre near Brighton, by relocating the recently-acquired Manos Holidays business from London. 24-Mar-2000
Wates has won a £3m contract to create a new museum for the Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich Arsenal in London. 23-Mar-2000
Hogg Robinson, the business travel agency, is discussing plans for a management buy-out, with an estimated value of about £240m. 22-Mar-2000
Portsmouth City Council is to consider plans from the Berkeley Group for the development of a £2m concert arena at the Gunwharf Quays shopping and leisure complex. 22-Mar-2000
Birmingham City Council is considering plans from Host Hospitality for the development of a £6m leisure academy in Great Barr, to provide leisure, training and conference facilities for local residents and corporate customers. 22-Mar-2000
BAA has raised £187m from the sale of eight airport hotels to a new investment fund called Airport Hotels Partnership. 17-Mar-2000
Queens Moat Houses is looking to sell off its Oxford hotel and one in Germany, in order to raise £20m to reduce debt. 17-Mar-2000
West Oxfordshire District Council has secured a £2m grant from the Sport England Lottery Fund to set up a £4m leisure centre in Chipping Norton, including swimming pool and sports facilities. 17-Mar-2000
Millennium & Copthorne is to invest £50m refurbishing 12 US hotels over the next two years, but 16 others will be sold off. 16-Mar-2000
Northern Leisure is planning to open five more Jumpin' Jaks live entertainment bars this year, and is also looking to build dance halls on greenfield sites. 16-Mar-2000
Sunley Turriff has won a £4.7m contract from Premiere Leisure to build a leisure complex in Benfleet, with swimming pool and tennis. 16-Mar-2000
The National Exhibition Centre has secured outline approval to build a £10m four-star hotel at its site in Birmingham. 16-Mar-2000
Penwith District Council is planning to regenerate the historic area of Hayle at a cost of up to £9m, which will include the creation of a heritage centre and visitor accommodation. 16-Mar-2000
Wyndham International of the US has put its Malmaison chain of UK hotels up for sale, with an estimated price of £90m. 16-Mar-2000
Whitbread is to build a £7m hotel for students attending short courses at Nottingham Trent University. 15-Mar-2000
Macdonald Hotels has bought the Riverside Training Centre in Kendal from insurance company Axa for £1.25m. 15-Mar-2000
Littlewoods has launched an online betting site called Bet247, and is seeking potential partners for other services such as interactive TV and internet service provision. 14-Mar-2000
Stanley Leisure has acquired two online casinos for £8m, and is planning to launch an offshore sports betting site called stanleybet.com. 14-Mar-2000
Bath & North East Somerset Council is considering plans for the development of a £20m 16,500-capacity stadium to house both Bath Rugby and Bath City Football Club. 14-Mar-2000
London Borough of Barnet is considering plans from Barnet FC for the development of a new £8m 10,000-capacity football stadium. 14-Mar-2000
Scottish & Newcastle Retail is closing its office in Rickmansworth with the loss of 28 jobs, although some staff will relocate to the central office in Northampton. 14-Mar-2000
Gala is looking to acquire more bingo clubs and move into online gaming, following the sale of a majority stake in the business to Credit Suisse First Boston. 14-Mar-2000
Champneys is considering plans to open an upmarket health and fitness club at the City Point development near the Barbican in London. 13-Mar-2000
Barnsley Council and Miller Developments have announced that Warner Village will be the anchor tenant at their £11m Courthouse leisure development in Barnsley. 13-Mar-2000
Carrick Council has approved plans from the Falmouth Watersports Association for the development of a £1.5m centre of excellence and sailing academy. 13-Mar-2000
Chorion is planning to open up to 15 Tiger Tiger bars over the next two years. 10-Mar-2000
North East Lincolnshire Council is to consider plans from Stanegate Leisure for the transformation of the £2m Deep Sea Experience Centre in Cleethorpes into a bowling and amusements centre. 09-Mar-2000
Cambridge City Council has approved plans for the £4m redevelopment of Cambridge United's football stadium. 09-Mar-2000
Whitbread has bought ten Exchange Bar and Diners outlets from Greene King for £10m, and will convert them to its TGI Friday's, Hogshead and Casa brands. 09-Mar-2000
MJ Gleeson has won a contract from Wilbraham Hotels to build a £4.5m hotel in Westminster. 09-Mar-2000
Great Portland Estates is planning to build a £30m leisure complex in Northampton, including restaurants, health club, cinema, bowling and hotel. 09-Mar-2000
Lend Lease is planning a £50m retail and leisure scheme in Fareham, including 10-screen cinema. 09-Mar-2000
The College of Ripon & York St John is planning to build a £10m tennis and fitness centre at its site in York, in partnership with Next Generation Clubs. 08-Mar-2000
Groupe Chez Gerard has announced plans to open new restaurants in Birmingham and Manchester, as part of an expansion that will include eight new outlets next year and 10 the following year. 07-Mar-2000
Coral has launched its new Eurobet online gambling business in the UK, which will be based in Woking. 06-Mar-2000
Wolverhampton Art Gallery has announced plans for a £2m refurbishment of its buildings. 06-Mar-2000
Thomson Travel is to invest £100m in the development of its online sales, and a number of its Lunn Poly outlets will be closed. 03-Mar-2000
Crest Nicholson is to submit new plans for a £35m leisure scheme at Gloucester Docks, including multiplex cinema and hotel. 03-Mar-2000
Bass is selling seven of its Northern Ireland pubs to various individuals, in a combined deal worth about £10m. 03-Mar-2000
Thistle Hotels is to spend up to £80m modernising 1,800 hotel rooms this year, and also plans to open more health and fitness clubs. 02-Mar-2000
Accor has awarded a £5m contract to David McLean for the construction of a 223-bedroom hotel in Liverpool. 02-Mar-2000
Taylor Woodrow is to build a £19m cinema and hotel complex in Swansea. 02-Mar-2000
Norfolk County Council has awarded a contract to RG Carter for the £6m refurbishment of the Castle Museum in Norwich. 02-Mar-2000
Vale of White Horse District Council is planning to build a £10m leisure complex in Abingdon, including tennis and swimming. 02-Mar-2000
Invicta Leisure is planning to build a £2m health club in Cwmbran. 02-Mar-2000
Macdonald Hotels is planning to build a £6m hotel and leisure complex in Inverness. 02-Mar-2000
Derby City Council has announced plans for the £1m expansion and redevelopment of the city's Industrial Museum. 02-Mar-2000
Wembley is to seek planning permission to redevelop a 43-acre site next to Wembley Stadium in London. 01-Mar-2000
Camelot has unveiled plans to invest £1bn in new technology and marketing to assist its bid to win the next National Lottery licence, but is facing a rival bid from the People's Lottery. 01-Mar-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is looking to sell its 14 Pontins holiday camps and 13 Center Parcs holiday villages, in order to raise about £800m for the development of its brewing business. 01-Mar-2000
Ultimate Leisure is planning to spend £9m expanding its chain of bars into cities such as Belfast, Leeds and York. 01-Mar-2000
HBG Construction has won a £19m contract to refurbish Liverpool Museum and the Walker Art Gallery. 01-Mar-2000
Bass is to buy out Bristol Hotels & Resorts, the US-based franchisee that manages 83 Bass hotels, in a £98m deal. 29-Feb-2000
Riva Clubs is considering plans to sell its chain of bingo clubs for up to £100m, as part of the ongoing consolidation in the sector. 28-Feb-2000
Rank is in negotiations with two potential bidders to sell its 50% stake in the Florida theme park Universal Studios Escape. 28-Feb-2000
Ministry of Sound is planning a flotation within the next year, as it continues to transform its dance club business into a leading leisure brand. 28-Feb-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is planning to expand its City Limits themed restaurant and leisure chain with the creation of 300 jobs. 25-Feb-2000
Hampton Trust has won government approval to build Europe's tallest skyscraper in Birmingham, which will include a hotel, offices and penthouses. 25-Feb-2000
Coral, the bookmaker with 860 betting shops, is planning to float with a valuation of about £1bn. 25-Feb-2000
Hilton Group is planning to expand its chain of 217 Hilton hotels with 23 new openings this year and 45 next year, and has also announced the £44m acquisition of the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh. 25-Feb-2000
Bracknell Forest Borough Council has approved plans for the development of a £6m indoor basketball arena at the John Nike Leisuresport Complex in Binfield. 24-Feb-2000
Cannons has announced plans to spend £110m opening a further 19 health clubs by 2002. 24-Feb-2000
Harrow Council has approved plans for the construction of a new £3m 3,000-capacity stadium for Wealdstone Football Club. 24-Feb-2000
Aberdeen City Council is to consider plans from Glasgow-based Palisade Properties for the development of a leisure and sports facility on a 32-acre site at Bridge of Don. 24-Feb-2000
Telford United Football Club is planning to build a £8m football stadium with hotel and conference facilities. 24-Feb-2000
Pembrokeshire County Council is planning to build a £3m hotel with conference facilities at Haverfordwest Airport. 24-Feb-2000
City of York Council is reorganising its leisure services with the loss of 40 management and administrative jobs. 23-Feb-2000
Whitbread is to build a £2.7m 41-bed hotel and pub at Newport Quay on the Isle of Wight, with the creation of 80 jobs. 23-Feb-2000
North Devon District Council is planning a £3.4m redevelopment of Ilfracombe harbour, which will involve the demolition of the existing pier and reconstruction of steamer landing stages. 22-Feb-2000
The Welsh Development Agency is to provide funding for a £4m technology project called Mumbles Science 2000 in Swansea, which will involve a centre of excellence in enterprise and innovation for young people and the creation of 60 jobs. 22-Feb-2000
London Borough of Barnet has announced plans for the £35m redevelopment of the former Gaumont Cinema site in Finchley in partnership with Chiltern Investment Properties and Wilcon Homes, including a health centre and retail space. 21-Feb-2000
Triyoga is planning to set up the UK's first chain of yoga clubs, and is raising £3m to fund the first four sites. 21-Feb-2000
South Bank Centre, the London arts complex, has unveiled plans for a £100m transformation, including a landscaped park, a new film centre, and shops and cafes. 18-Feb-2000
Milton Keynes Borough Council is considering plans for the development of a 25,000-seater stadium at Denbigh North, and aims to attract a top-class professional football club to the city. 18-Feb-2000
Ellesmere Port & Neston Borough Council is considering plans from Wrexham-based Waterways Garden Centres for the development of a £12m themed garden centre, which could create 200 jobs. 18-Feb-2000
Cherwell District Council is to consider plans from Trinity Investments UK for the development of a multiplex cinema in Banbury, to be operated by Cinemark. 18-Feb-2000
Holidays by Phone is to open a new call centre in Manchester with the creation of 220 jobs, and further centres may follow in Leeds, Glasgow and Cardiff. 17-Feb-2000
Waterfall Holdings, the operator of nightclubs and pool halls, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 17-Feb-2000
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is planning to build a new 10,000-seater stadium, and Ballast Wiltshier is negotiating the £6m contract. 17-Feb-2000
Associated British Ports has submitted plans to build a 180-berth marina at the New Cut East island in the port of Ipswich. 16-Feb-2000
Fylde Council is to consider plans from the Whyndyke Development Consortium for the construction of a £50m indoor Snowdome facility at Marton, Blackpool, which would create up to 2,000 jobs. 16-Feb-2000
Newcastle City Council has reached agreement with a local businessman for the development of a £4m luxury hotel and leisure complex on Grey Street, which will create 50 jobs. 16-Feb-2000
Cardiff County Council has approved plans from Laguna to develop a £20m hotel with leisure and conference facilities in the city centre. 16-Feb-2000
Mersey Docks & Harbour and English Partnerships are considering plans for a £200m project to redevelop a 70-acre waterfront site in Liverpool for leisure, residential and commercial use. 16-Feb-2000
Ambassador Theatre Group has bought seven West End theatres currently managed by Associated Capital Theatres, in a £18m deal. 15-Feb-2000
Ladbroke is launching two new internet betting sites, as part of a £100m investment that will enable people to bet through interactive TV and mobile phones. 15-Feb-2000
Topnotch is planning to raise £10m through a flotation on Aim, in order to fund the expansion of its chain of nightclub-style gymnasiums. 14-Feb-2000
PGA European Tour Courses has appointed Lehman Brothers to prepare the group for the sale of some of its golf course assets. 14-Feb-2000
Capital Radio is looking to sell its remaining restaurants, in order to raise up to £5m. 14-Feb-2000
Bradford Metropolitan District Council is to consider plans from JJ Gallagher for the development of a hotel and leisure centre on the site of the Vicar Lane car park. 11-Feb-2000
Stanley Leisure is considering plans to set up a new casino at Princes Dock in Liverpool. 11-Feb-2000
Tower Hamlets Council has approved plans from Daejan Holdings for the construction of a 388-bedroom hotel in East London, and Hilton Group is negotiating the operating contract. 11-Feb-2000
Blackpool Football Club is to submit plans for a £10m new stadium on its current Bloomfield Road site. 10-Feb-2000
Ballast Wiltshier has secured a £3.2m contract for the development of an 11-screen cinema and leisure complex for CTP in St Helens. 10-Feb-2000
Sports Internet is linking up with Freeserve to launch a new internet betting service, while Arena Leisure has announced plans for a similar project with Autotote of the US. 10-Feb-2000
Everards has bought the White Swan Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon for £2m, as part of a strategy by the Leicestershire-based company to expand its geographic coverage. 09-Feb-2000
Usit Campus, the student travel specialist, is to set up a £6m call centre in Plymouth, with the creation of about 260 jobs by summer 2001. 09-Feb-2000
Big Pit Mining Museum at Blaenafon has been awarded a £5m grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund, in order to provide a home for the mining collections of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. 09-Feb-2000
Whitbread is looking to sell a package of 187 pubs and restaurants, which represents most of the recently-acquired Swallow estate, and could raise more than £100m. 09-Feb-2000
PizzaExpress has announced plans to open more wholly-owned restaurants in Tokyo over the next few months. 08-Feb-2000
English Partnerships is looking to sell part of the Albert Dock's Edward Pavilion in Liverpool, which could be used for a hotel. 07-Feb-2000
Vinopolis, the operator of the new Wineworld theme park in London, is planning to raise £5m in a flotation later this year in order to reduce debt and put its museum online. 07-Feb-2000
Sellar Property Group is linking up with the Civil Service Sports Council to create up to 30 fitness centres offering free access to civil servants, starting with a 70,000 sq ft site in Portsmouth. 07-Feb-2000
West Berkshire Council has approved plans from Central Corporation Projects for the development of a 100-room hotel in Theale. 07-Feb-2000
Ambishus Pub Company has bought nine pubs in the south east from Smith & Jones Victuallers for £4.3m, taking its estate to 60. 04-Feb-2000
Sunderland Football Club has won permission to build a £8m training academy at Whitburn Moor Farm. 04-Feb-2000
Whitecliff Properties is planning to set up a £20m Next Generation tennis centre and hotel complex at a former cement works in Cambridge. 04-Feb-2000
Nottinghamshire County Council is supporting plans from Sherwood Developments for the construction of a £200m settlement on farmland between Mansfield and Ashfield, including a golf course, executive homes, leisure centre and hotel. 04-Feb-2000
Manchester City Council is to consider plans from Allied London Properties for a £500m project to transform the Spinningfields area of the city, including two luxury hotels and offices for 15,000 workers. 04-Feb-2000
Hull City Council is planning a £9.3m project to upgrade the city's Victorian parks, and lottery funding will be sought. 03-Feb-2000
Marine Projects is planning a £6m expansion at its luxury boat building business in Plymouth, with the creation of up to 250 jobs. 03-Feb-2000
Honeycombe Leisure has announced plans to raise £3m in a share placing in order to fund the expansion of its chain of 42 pubs. 03-Feb-2000
Chorion is selling its remaining interests in the London Trocadero entertainment centre to Burford Holdings, in order to focus on bars and nightclubs. 03-Feb-2000
West Lothian Council has agreed a £10m deal with Miller to increase the capacity of Livingston football club's stadium to 10,000. 03-Feb-2000
Whitbread is reviving plans to build a £18m hotel at Enderby in Leicester, and is said to be discussing a partnering agreement with Laing. 03-Feb-2000
Bradford Council is to consider plans for the development of a £2m leisure and bingo club operated by Buckingham Bingo Clubs at the city's transport Interchange, with the creation of 65 jobs. 02-Feb-2000
Reading Borough Council is considering plans for the £5m revamp of the Reading speedway and greyhound stadium. 02-Feb-2000
Scottish & Newcastle is to sell 481 leased pubs to a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland for £180m, in order to comply with a requirement to sell pubs following its purchase of the Greenalls estate. 02-Feb-2000
Fitness First has announced plans to set up two new health clubs in Chesterfield and Burton, with the creation of 60 jobs. 31-Jan-2000
Scottish & Newcastle Retail is about to start work on the development of a new £2.6m hotel at the former Inverlair House in Aberdeen, with the creation of 60 jobs. 31-Jan-2000
South Lakeland Caravans has bought the White Cross Bay holiday park at Windermere in Cumbria for £10m. 31-Jan-2000
JD Wetherspoon has raised £44m in a share placing, and plans to invest up to £700m expanding its chain of pubs to more than 800 over the next five years. 31-Jan-2000
St Helens Rugby Football Club is developing plans to build a £11m 20,000-capacity stadium at the Linkway near the M62 motorway. 28-Jan-2000
Bristol City Council has rejected a plan by Crest Nicholson for a £200m dockside redevelopment, following complaints from residents that the scheme was inappropriate. 28-Jan-2000
Airtours has bought the 1,474-room Bellevue hotel in Majorca for £63m, as part of a strategy to acquire control of accommodation in the leading holiday destinations. 28-Jan-2000
Fitness First is to open a health club in Madrid early next year, and is also looking at opportunities in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. 28-Jan-2000
Loch Fyne Restaurants is looking to raise up to £3.5m to fund the development of 20 new restaurants. 27-Jan-2000
Swansea Council has approved plans for the development of a £10m Olympic size swimming pool on Swansea University land, and it should be open by August 2001. 27-Jan-2000
Cream, the Liverpool-based nightclub, has selected the Aquarium Terraces development on Brighton seafront as the location for its first venue in the south. 27-Jan-2000
Diamond Property Holdings is planning to build a £15m hotel and leisure complex in the centre of Portsmouth, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 27-Jan-2000
Nottingham City Council is planning to buy the 200-seater Malt Cross Music Hall and transform it into a pub and entertainment venue. 26-Jan-2000
Aston Villa has sold a 9.9% stake to cable operator NTL for £17m, as part of a £26m media partnership deal. 26-Jan-2000
Springwood Leisure, the pubs and nightclubs company, has acquired a 9.3% stake in Kingfisher Leisure, and a full takeover bid is expected to follow. 26-Jan-2000
Greenalls is planning to change its name to De Vere Group, the name of its main hotel chain. 26-Jan-2000
Wakefield Council has approved plans for the £5m redevelopment of the National Coal Mining Museum. 24-Jan-2000
Rank has announced plans to set up a £2.8m Grosvenor Casino at the Five Ways leisure development in Birmingham. 24-Jan-2000
Wilson Bowden is planning to refurbish the Regent Hotel in Leamington Spa, and develop a retail centre and cinema on a site nearby. 24-Jan-2000
Gala Bingo, the chain of 149 bingo halls, is in discussions with a number of private equity groups that could lead to the business being sold for up to £400m. 22-Jan-2000
Zetters, the bingo hall and football pools company, has received a £9.7m takeover offer from a consortium led by Undervalued Assets Trust, which could lead to the transformation of the company into an international online betting business. 22-Jan-2000
William Hill is launching a tax-free offshore betting service for telephone and internet-based customers, having set up a computer in Antigua and a call centre in Ireland. 22-Jan-2000
Blaby District Council is to consider plans by Next Generation Clubs to build a tennis and health club at Carlton Park in Narborough, which could create 100 jobs. 21-Jan-2000
Allerdale Borough Council is to consider plans for the development of a £6m luxury hotel and racing stables near Workington in West Cumbria, creating up to 90 jobs. 21-Jan-2000
The Ministry of Defence has received an undisclosed offer from Larkbay of Blairgowrie to buy the redundant RAF Edzell base and turn it into a £30m tourism and leisure complex. 21-Jan-2000
Kirklees Council has unveiled plans for the £1m transformation of Castle Hill in Huddersfield into a tourist attraction. 21-Jan-2000
Wakefield Council is considering plans from Bass Leisure Retail and Peel Developments for the construction of a hotel and pub at Durkar. 21-Jan-2000
Luton Town Football Club is in discussions with the local council about the possible development of a new stadium near junction 10 of the M1 motorway. 21-Jan-2000
Pubmaster is to raise £109m in a securitisation of most of the pubs bought from Swallow, and some of the proceeds will be used for further acquisitions. 21-Jan-2000
Whitbread is to close its regional headquarters in Cheltenham, which will affect up to 150 jobs. 20-Jan-2000
The Welsh Development Agency is in discussions with Infotel, the Canadian hotel booking company, about the possibility of setting up a new call centre on the Swansea Enterprise Park with the creation of 300 jobs. 20-Jan-2000
Teesland Group has submitted an outline planning application to build an athletics stadium near Heathrow. 20-Jan-2000
Torridge District Council is considering revised plans from Hainstone for a holiday and leisure development at Hartland Forest, which could create more than 300 jobs. 19-Jan-2000
Birmingham City Council is planning to relocate 800 office staff to the city's Alpha Tower, in order to clear the way for its Baskerville House to be transformed into a luxury hotel operated by Radisson Edwardian Hotels. 19-Jan-2000
Manchester City Council has reached agreement with Taylor Woodrow for the £30m transformation of the Free Trade Hall into a luxury hotel, which will be operated by Accor from 2002. 18-Jan-2000
Drayton Manor Park, the theme park near Tamworth, is planning to build a £6m 65-bedroom family hotel, with the creation of 50 jobs. 18-Jan-2000
The government has shortlisted six schemes to acquire the Millennium Dome at the end of this year, and proposals include a sports centre, theme park, and business park. 18-Jan-2000
Bass has acquired 59 Southern Pacific Hotels for £125m, and they will be rebranded as Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaze and Holiday Inn. 18-Jan-2000
First Leisure has announced plans to increase the number of Esporta health and fitness clubs from 24 to 46 at a cost of £100m. 18-Jan-2000
Swansea Council has shortlisted seven companies to submit proposals for the £75m Morfa stadium redevelopment, and a preferred developer will be chosen in March. 17-Jan-2000
The government is planning to invest £750m over the next ten years in improving sports facilities in deprived communities across the country. 17-Jan-2000
Norwich Union is to fund a £12m project by the Grange Hotel Group to transform the former Honeywell House office building in Bracknell into a 120-bedroom hotel. 17-Jan-2000
Forth Ports has announced that Ster Century of South Africa is to operate the multiplex cinema at its £100m Ocean Terminal project in Edinburgh. 17-Jan-2000
Stax Securities has launched Stax Leisure in order to invest in upmarket health and fitness centres in the south east, and a £3m site has already been acquired in Beckenham. 17-Jan-2000
Old Monk Company is planning to open about five more Springbok sports bars later this year, following the success of its Leeds outlet. 15-Jan-2000
Sevenoaks District Council is to consider plans from Morrison Development and Ironbridge Estates for the construction of a new hotel in the town centre. 14-Jan-2000
Oxford City Council has approved plans for the construction of a 136-bedroom hotel at Oxford United's new stadium development. 14-Jan-2000
South Hams District Council is to consider plans for the transformation of the National Shire Horse Centre near Plymouth into a multi-million pound wildlife park, which would create more than 30 jobs. 14-Jan-2000
Southampton City Council is in discussions with Planet Ice about the possibility of building a new ice rink. 14-Jan-2000
Capital Bars has put its UK bar-restaurant operations up for sale, and the proceeds will be invested in Dublin. 14-Jan-2000
Stanley Leisure has announced plans to set up an online virtual reality casino based outside the UK, as well as an internet sports betting operation. 14-Jan-2000
Exeter City Council has shortlisted three potential designs for the redevelopment of Exeter Quay into a leisure-based recreational area. 13-Jan-2000
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council has awarded a £4.4m contract to Christiani & Nielsen for the redevelopment of Southport Pier. 13-Jan-2000
Aston Villa is in negotiations that could result in NTL acquiring a 10% stake in the football club. 13-Jan-2000
Merlin Entertainments has put seven aquariums up for sale, including the Sea Life Centre in Tynemouth, in order to focus on its larger facilities. 12-Jan-2000
RF Hotels has bought the 183-room Hotel Amigo in Brussels for £16m, and is also looking at potential purchases in Berlin, Prague and Frankfurt. 12-Jan-2000
City of York Council is considering plans to revamp the bars and catering facilities at York Racecourse. 11-Jan-2000
Wirral Council is in discussions with Marubena about the possibility of building a £160m Ocean Dome water park in New Brighton, in order to attract more than 1m visitors a year and create 200 jobs. 11-Jan-2000
Rank has selected Cinven as the preferred bidder for its Odeon Cinema chain, which is expected to be sold for up to £300m. 10-Jan-2000
Redbridge Council has approved plans for the £3m restoration of Valentines Park in Ilford. 08-Jan-2000
Aston Villa has won the final go-ahead from Birmingham City Council for a £23m plan to extend the capacity of its Villa Park stadium from 39,000 to more than 50,000, and a hotel will also be built. 08-Jan-2000
Citygrove Leisure has won permission to build a £25m leisure complex in Chichester, including multiplex cinema, hotel and restaurants. 08-Jan-2000
Leicester City Council has selected Braunstone's Wycliffe School as the preferred site to build a £25m sports complex, and an application will now be made for lottery funding. 07-Jan-2000
London Clubs International is seeking permission to open a new casino at Brighton Marina, with the creation of 150 jobs. 07-Jan-2000
Belfast City Council is to back a feasibility study into the possibility of building a Titanic Museum. 07-Jan-2000
Bassetlaw Council is considering three potential sites for the development of a multiplex cinema in Worksop. 05-Jan-2000
Newport Council has rejected plans for the £750m Legend Court theme park due to concerns about the environmental impact of the development, and it is now expected to be built in Derbyshire. 05-Jan-2000
JD Wetherspoon has announced plans to open a further 500 pubs by the end of 2004 with the creation of 15,000 jobs, and about 90 outlets will open this year. 05-Jan-2000
The information below comes from the
UK Activity Report.
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