U K
The information below comes from the
UK Activity Report.
Rugby Borough Council is considering plans for the £1.7m development of a visitor centre at Ryton Organic Gardens near Coventry, in order to create a "vegetable theme park" called Vegetable Kingdom. 31-Dec-2001
The Science Museum is planning to transform a former airfield at Wroughton, Wiltshire, into a new branch of its London-based museum, allowing the public to view hundreds of aircraft and machines currently stored at the site. 28-Dec-2001
Aberdeen City Council is considering plans from North East Indoor Soccer for the development of a £1.5m indoor football facility at Bridge of Don. 24-Dec-2001
Whitbread is seeking partnerships with schools and colleges to expand its David Lloyd chain of fitness clubs, and has already agreed a deal with the Nonsuch High School at Cheam in Surrey. 24-Dec-2001
Swansea Council is in discussions with a number of leading restaurant operators about plans to transform the historic Patti Pavilion in Victoria Park into a leisure and cultural centre. 21-Dec-2001
Warrington Wolves has won government approval to build a new rugby league stadium and Tesco superstore at Winwick Road. 20-Dec-2001
Carlisle City Council is considering plans from Harrison & Hetherington for the development of a £11m leisure and office complex near the M6, including an 80-bedroom four-star luxury hotel and 600 new jobs. 20-Dec-2001
Quintain Estates and Lend Lease are to enter into a public-private partnership with the government to transform London's Millennium Dome into a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment arena, with the creation of up to 20,000 jobs. 19-Dec-2001
Luminar is to invest more than £12m in seven new nightclub venues in Scotland, and a further £5m will be used to refurbish 10 premises acquired from Scottish & Newcastle earlier this year. 18-Dec-2001
EU Structural Funds is to make £5m available for improvements to the Northern Ireland inland waterways network and water-based recreation projects, and grants will be available to a variety of organisations until 2004. 18-Dec-2001
Lancashire County Council is considering plans from South Lakeland Caravans for the development of a £15m holiday park near Carnforth, including 250 log cabins, a tropical swimming pool and the creation of 50 jobs. 18-Dec-2001
Islington Borough Council has approved plans from P&O for the £100m transformation of the King's Cross area into an upmarket tourist and residential district, creating up to 2,500 jobs. 18-Dec-2001
Bath City Football Club is looking into the possibility of redeveloping Twerton Park, in order to raise up to £6m and relocate to a new site. 17-Dec-2001
Swansea Council has secured £2m from the Wales Tourist Board to improve hotels, beaches and key tourist areas over the next five years. 17-Dec-2001
Compass is to move its Travelodge budget hotel chain into Spain with two new properties opening in Madrid and Barcelona in 2003, and has also announced that First Motorway Services will be its second franchisee in the UK. 17-Dec-2001
Next Generation is planning to invest £50m in four new fitness clubs in London, York, Bristol and Dartford next year, with the creation of 450 jobs. 17-Dec-2001
Lambeth Council has approved plans for the modernisation of the AMP Oval cricket ground, increasing the seating capacity to 23,500, and work is expected to start within two years. 13-Dec-2001
Macdonald Hotels has outlined plans for a £60m investment in its chain of Heritage Hotels, including 15 health clubs, 500 new bedrooms, ten business centres and ten conference suites. 13-Dec-2001
Rank has secured a licence to set up a Hard Rock casino at the former Fashion Cafe in London's West End next year. 13-Dec-2001
Total Fitness UK is seeking permission to build an exercise, rehabilitation and hydrotherapy centre at a former industrial site on Strand Road in Preston, with the creation of 120 jobs. 12-Dec-2001
Ascot Racecourse is to form a limited company to raise funds for new grandstands and improved racing facilities. 12-Dec-2001
Hollathans is planning to open eight additional cafe-bars around the country with the creation of 300 jobs, and is currently looking at potential sites in Leeds and Halifax. 11-Dec-2001
Nomura has been approached by five bidders in the £500m auction for its chain of 1,240 Inn Partnership pubs, including bids from Enterprise Inns, Laurel and Pubmaster. 11-Dec-2001
Arsenal has won approval from Islington Borough Council for a £300m scheme to build 60,000-seater football stadium at Ashburton Grove by 2004, which will create about 1,800 jobs. 11-Dec-2001
Avebury Taverns has bought 17 pubs from Noble House Leisure for £9m, taking its estate to more than 850. 11-Dec-2001
Westminster City Council has approved plans from Buckingham Securities to develop a six-star hotel at the former Naval & Military Club in Piccadilly. 10-Dec-2001
Xscape is looking to open four more leisure and retail parks to add to the existing site in Milton Keynes, including the two projects planned for Castleford and Glasgow. 10-Dec-2001
Tops Estates has announced proposals to set up a £125m sports centre at the Millennium Dome in London, including indoor ski slope, golf, tennis and scuba diving. 10-Dec-2001
Horsham District Council has approved plans for the £5.4m refurbishment and extension of Horsham Arts Centre. 07-Dec-2001
Radisson SAS has signed an agreement with BAA Lynton to invest £40m in a new 350-bedroom four-star hotel at Stansted Airport by the end of 2003. 07-Dec-2001
Jarvis Hotels is to operate two new hotels at Glasgow Airport on behalf of Tonstate Glasgow Airport, the first contracts to be won by its new hospitality management services division. 07-Dec-2001
City of York Council is to consider plans from the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington for a £1m expansion programme, in order to create one of the country's leading aviation attractions. 07-Dec-2001
Six Continents is considering plans to sell its retail pubs and restaurants business, in order to focus on hotels. 07-Dec-2001
Scarborough Borough Council has approved plans for the £35m transformation of a former holiday camp at Filey into a sports, leisure and residential complex, with the creation of 600 jobs. 06-Dec-2001
Ballymena Borough Council has announced plans for the £13m transformation of the town hall into an arts centre, museum and 450-seat auditorium. 05-Dec-2001
Tote is planning to open a further 130 betting shops, taking its chain to 500 by 2004. 03-Dec-2001
Warner Village Cinemas is planning to invest £30m in five new cinema complexes in London, including sites in Islington, Croydon, Shepherd's Bush, Fulham Broadway and Staines. 03-Dec-2001
Flying Scotsman Railways, the operator of the historic steam locomotive, is planning to raise £2.2m in a share offer in order to reduce debt and create a new tourist attraction in Edinburgh. 03-Dec-2001
The Fishbourne Roman Palace near Chichester is planning a £3.5m refurbishment programme, and is seeking a £2.5m lottery grant. 30-Nov-2001
Leeds City Council is seeking lottery funding for a £26m project to build a museum at the Leeds Institute building and an educational resource centre near Clarence Dock. 30-Nov-2001
Radisson SAS is planning to open four more hotels in the UK and Ireland over the next two years, including properties in Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and County Donegal. 30-Nov-2001
Yarmouth Borough Council and Northern Racing have formed a new company to operate Yarmouth Racecourse, and £2m will be invested in new facilities over the next five years. 30-Nov-2001
The Cabinet War Rooms museum in London is to undergo a £7.5m expansion that will triple its size by 2003. 30-Nov-2001
William Hill is planning to open a new call centre for its telephone betting service in Sheffield city centre early next year, with the creation of 200 jobs. 29-Nov-2001
Gala is looking to acquire additional casinos, and is interested in combining casinos with bingo to provide a one-stop gambling shop. 29-Nov-2001
The National Trust is seeking a suitable site in the Swindon area to set up a new headquarters, which will involve the relocation of up to 400 staff from London, Melksham, Westbury and Cirencester. 29-Nov-2001
Neath Port Talbot Council is to consider plans from Manchester-based Oak Asset for the development of a £50m holiday village in the Afan Valley, including an all-weather tropical dome, 215 chalets and the creation of 500 jobs. 28-Nov-2001
Amec Developments has won a contract from Bournemouth-based Bowlplex to build a £2.6m indoor bowling centre in Dudley, which will create up to 100 new jobs by next summer. 27-Nov-2001
North Wiltshire District Council has approved plans for the development of a 120-room hotel and conference centre on the Bowood Estate, which will create about 100 jobs. 27-Nov-2001
The Oxford University Club has announced proposals for a £4.5m four-storey recreation centre for university staff on playing fields in Mansfield Road. 26-Nov-2001
Compass is planning to franchise its Travelodge budget hotel chain, and is considering a number of potential partners in the UK, Europe and the Far East. 26-Nov-2001
Tussauds Group has bought the Heide theme park in Germany for undisclosed terms. 26-Nov-2001
Airtours is planning to change its name to MyTravel, which will affect its 700 high-street travel shops and its airline, and has also announced the loss of 1,600 jobs. 26-Nov-2001
Coinmaster is planning to raise £2.8m in an Ofex listing to fund the expansion of its gaming machines business. 23-Nov-2001
British Waterways is to launch a study into the transformation of derelict stretches of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on Merseyside into tourist and leisure attractions. 22-Nov-2001
Aberdeen City Council has approved plans for the £7.4m refurbishment of His Majesty's Theatre, and work is expected to start in 2003. 22-Nov-2001
Newport County Borough Council has awarded a £11m contract to E Turner to build a theatre and arts centre. 22-Nov-2001
Glasgow City Council has awarded a £2.9m contract to Ogilvie to build a National Badminton Centre. 22-Nov-2001
Liverpool City Council is to consider plans from the Greyhound Racing Association for a £6m 2,000-seater greyhound stadium in Fazakerley, which would create 200 jobs. 21-Nov-2001
Gateshead Council is to consider a number of potential redevelopment schemes for a disused site at Dunston, including a £55m leisure project that would include a railway heritage centre, hotel, restaurant, offices and wildlife sanctuary. 20-Nov-2001
Cambridge University has identified a potential site in Cambourne for the development of a £3m Olympic-sized ice-skating rink. 20-Nov-2001
Exeter City Council is to consider plans from the Exeter Chiefs for the development of a new 10,000-capacity rugby stadium at the County Ground site in St Thomas. 20-Nov-2001
Eden Hall Spa is creating 80 jobs at a new £6m health spa at Elston near Newark in January. 19-Nov-2001
SFI has acquired the Parisa chain of 24 cafe bars from CVC Capital Partners and Bridgepoint Capital for £15m. 19-Nov-2001
The Welsh Rugby Union is planning to relocate its Cardiff headquarters from Custom House to Raglan's refurbished Hodge House development. 16-Nov-2001
Greene King is planning to sell 17 of the 137 recently-acquired Old English Inns, while 34 of the properties will become part of the Greene King Pub Partners' tenancy operation. 16-Nov-2001
Sportech is to relocate its Merseyside-based Littlewoods Leisure head office and e-gaming operations from Walton to the Wavertree Technology Park. 15-Nov-2001
Moyle District Council is to consider plans from the National Trust to set up a £10m visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway, which could create 200 jobs. 15-Nov-2001
St Modwen has won government approval for the £100m redevelopment of the Trentham Gardens estate in Staffordshire, including a luxury hotel, restaurants, holiday lodges, shops, and a monkey park. 15-Nov-2001
Luminar Leisure, the bar and nightclub operator, is planning to open 44 more venues next year, at a cost of £90m. 15-Nov-2001
The National Trust is to move the headquarters of its north west region from Grasmere to Kendal and Altrincham next year. 14-Nov-2001
Arc Trust has closed the multi-million pound Arc arts venue and theatre in Stockton due to ongoing financial problems. 14-Nov-2001
Torbay Council has approved plans for an 80-bedroom hotel at Sladnor Park, including 30 holiday suites, a pool, bars and sauna. 14-Nov-2001
Chester Racecourse has submitted plans for a £30m expansion programme, including two hotels, a 3,000-capacity grandstand and a conference centre. 12-Nov-2001
Sheffield City Council has announced plans to invest £15m refurbishing the city's leisure facilities over the next five years, including Ponds Forge, Hillsborough, Don Valley and Concord. 12-Nov-2001
Burleigh Court is planning a £3.6m expansion at its conference centre at Loughborough University, in order to improve facilities and meet the changing demands of corporate events. 09-Nov-2001
Airtours is to open a new MyTravel superstore at Teesside Retail Park in February, with the creation of up to 50 jobs. 09-Nov-2001
Ultimate Leisure has raised a further £13m to expand its pubs and clubs business into Nottingham, Yorkshire and other northern locations. 08-Nov-2001
Fitness First is to develop a fitness club at the former Cumberland Infirmary site in Carlisle, with the creation of 30 jobs. 08-Nov-2001
London Clubs International is to double the size of its casino development at Brighton Marina, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. 08-Nov-2001
Argyll & Bute Council is considering plans from Yacht Havens for the development of a £1m 80-berth marina in Oban Bay. 08-Nov-2001
The Eden Project in Cornwall is to bring forward plans to build a third £20m biome to recreate the semi-desert climate of Arizona. 05-Nov-2001
The British Resorts Association has said that more beaches are likely to be transferred from local authority to private ownership, in order to improve facilities and boost tourism. 05-Nov-2001
Millennium & Copthorne is planning to shed 500 jobs at its 86 hotels in the US, Europe and Asia, including up to 250 in the UK. 05-Nov-2001
Stagecoach Theatre Arts is planning to raise £4m in a flotation on Aim in order to fund the expansion of its franchise of performing arts schools and set up a new sports tuition franchise. 05-Nov-2001
Leicester City Council has revealed plans to develop a £58m cultural village in the St George's area by 2006, including a major new theatre and film-making centre and the creation of 600 jobs. 02-Nov-2001
Highland Council is to consider revised plans from Tulloch for the £30m redevelopment of the Aviemore ski resort, including 140 homes, a hotel, a Tesco supermarket, chalets, a bowling alley, an ice-rink and a swimming pool. 02-Nov-2001
Yates Group has sold eight Wine Lodges to Morrells of Oxford for about £4m, and Morrells will convert six of them to the Que Pasa format. 02-Nov-2001
Leeds City Council is to consider plans from non-profit organisation LABC to develop a £8m youth and sports complex in Burmantofts, including ice rink and sports arena. 30-Oct-2001
Ebookers.com is setting up a telesales and IT operation in India, in order to reduce costs in its online travel agency business. 30-Oct-2001
Thomson Travel is to merge its three UK operations - Thomson Holidays, Thomson Travel and UK Distribution - with the loss of 400 head office jobs. 30-Oct-2001
Ulster Rugby is looking into the possibility of selling its Ravenhill Park ground in Belfast for up to £11m, in order to move to a new purpose-built stadium by 2005. 29-Oct-2001
Deeside College has won lottery funding to build a £1.8m indoor athletics facility. 29-Oct-2001
Next Generation is planning to raise £40m in a flotation to help fund the expansion of its chain of fitness clubs from seven to 24. 29-Oct-2001
Thomas Cook has announced plans to reduce costs in its European travel business by shedding 2,600 jobs, closing 100 shops and grounding four aircraft. 29-Oct-2001
Leisure Parcs has submitted plans to build a 1,000-bed hotel, casino and conference centre on Blackpool seafront, which will create up to 3,000 jobs. 29-Oct-2001
Regal Hotel Group has put seven hotels up for sale for a total £15m, including properties at various locations throughout England. 26-Oct-2001
Birmingham City Football Club has been put up for sale with an estimated value of £22m. 25-Oct-2001
Moyle District Council has received plans from Ballymoney-based architects R Robinson & Sons for the development of a £45m golf resort on a 356-acre site between the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills. 23-Oct-2001
Clubhaus has won permission from Tandridge District Council to build a multi-million pound health and leisure club at Dormans Park in Surrey. 23-Oct-2001
Coventry Rugby Club has submitted plans to build a new £3.5m stadium at The Butts, including up to 6,000 seats and a greyhound track. 23-Oct-2001
Whitbread is planning to sell 44 pub-restaurants to Noble House Leisure for £31m, including eight Dragon Inns and 36 Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites. 22-Oct-2001
De Vere is to create more than 80 jobs at a new £6m Greens Health & Fitness club in Shipley next spring. 19-Oct-2001
The Royal Shakespeare Company is to submit plans for a new £100m theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, to replace the existing 1,500-seat building. 19-Oct-2001
Bristol City Council has approved a £110m plan from Crest Nicholson to build a multiscreen cinema, 450 homes and offices at Canon's Marsh. 19-Oct-2001
Sheffield Ski Village has been put up for sale with a valuation of about £4.2m. 18-Oct-2001
Derby City Council is to consider plans from La Sande Holdings of Stockport to develop a £7m hotel and restaurant complex near Pentagon Island, which could help Derbyshire County Cricket Club raise funds for a new indoor cricket academy. 18-Oct-2001
Southend Council is to consider plans from Barratt Eastern Counties for the development of a 60-bedroom hotel on the town's derelict gasworks site. 16-Oct-2001
Bishop's Stortford Football Club is considering plans to relocate over the next few years, and two potential sites have been identified. 16-Oct-2001
William Hill is considering plans to close a betting call centre in Athlone with the loss of up to 300 jobs, in order to transfer the work to its site in Leeds. 16-Oct-2001
Jarvis Hotels is planning to expand its hotel chain from 65 to more than 120 over the next three years, and will start to include serviced offices and other business facilities. 15-Oct-2001
The Lawn Tennis Association has instructed Drivers Jonas to find a suitable site in west London for a new National Tennis Centre, including office space, 12 outdoor courts and six indoor courts. 15-Oct-2001
Invicta Leisure is planning a £30m expansion that will increase its chain of 10 health and fitness clubs to 20, including sites in Worthing, Ilford and Weston-super-Mare. 15-Oct-2001
EasyEverything is to rename its chain of internet cafes as EasyInternetcafe and offload a number of European outlets, in order to stem losses. 15-Oct-2001
Six Continents is to transform London's Forum Hotel into the world's biggest Holiday Inn, as part of a £25m modernisation programme. 15-Oct-2001
Hotel Du Vin is planning to develop a £5.5m 35-room hotel and bistro in Brighton's Ship Street. 15-Oct-2001
Whitbread is looking to sell its Pelican group of 200 high street restaurants, including the Cafe Rouge and Bella Pasta chains. 15-Oct-2001
Brighton & Hove Albion has submitted two planning applications for a new £40m football stadium at Falmer. 12-Oct-2001
Birmingham City Council is forming a partnership with South Birmingham College and Persimmon for the £20m expansion of the Digbeth-based DEP International studios into a media village for students of music and the performing arts. 11-Oct-2001
Dudley Council is to consider plans from Bristol-based Westowe Properties for the development of a new leisure complex, including fitness club and bowling alley, in Birmingham New Road. 11-Oct-2001
Fife Council is investing £1.3m in a new sports facility in Dunfermline, which will involve the expansion of Pitreavie Sports fields. 11-Oct-2001
Regent Inns is to open a £2m Jongleurs comedy club at the Millennium Plaza development in the centre of Cardiff in January, with the creation of 50 jobs. 10-Oct-2001
Gloucester City Council is to start recruiting up to 100 staff for the new £16m Gloucester Leisure Centre, which is due to open in May 2002. 10-Oct-2001
The Scottish Cricket Union is considering the possibility of building a new cricket ground in Scotland's central belt, to support an application to join the Norwich Union League in 2003. 08-Oct-2001
Watford Leisure is to submit plans for the £7.5m development of the East Stand at the Vicarage Road football stadium. 08-Oct-2001
De Vere is planning to shed up to 40 jobs at the Warrington head office of its hotel and fitness clubs business. 05-Oct-2001
Angus Council is to consider plans from a local businessman for the development of a £200m sports academy at Monifieth, which would be called Snow Valley Sports Park and create 500 jobs. 05-Oct-2001
First Choice, the tour operator, is to shed 1,100 jobs, with at least half affecting its 10 offices and 330 shops in the UK. 05-Oct-2001
Airtours is to shed 100 jobs across its nationwide network of travel companies, which include Going Places, Panorama and Direct Holidays. 05-Oct-2001
The Wordsworth Trust is to extend its tourist centre at Grasmere in Cumbria, having secured £2m of lottery cash. 04-Oct-2001
Norfolk Museums & Archaeology Service is to create a maritime museum in the King Street conservation area in Great Yarmouth, having secured £2.5m of lottery cash. 04-Oct-2001
Sean Graham is to expand its Northern Ireland-based betting business with the creation of an online operation and up to 100 jobs, following the abolition of betting tax. 03-Oct-2001
Blue Anchor Leisure has submitted plans for the development of a £5m leisure complex on the Skegness seafront, which would include a Victorian promenade and lead to the creation of up to 100 jobs. 03-Oct-2001
Dundee City Council is to transform Baxter Park into a major community centre and tourist attraction, having received a £3.2m cash injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund's urban parks programme. 03-Oct-2001
Havant Borough Council has been approached by Capital & Counties and Alfred McAlpine Special Projects about a £100m plan to transform a harbour site at Broadmarsh into a marina and housing development. 03-Oct-2001
Collingwood Developments has started work on a new 254-bedroom Hilton hotel near the Tyne Bridge in Gateshead, which will create 200 jobs. 03-Oct-2001
Ebookers.com is planning to shed up to 140 of the 700 jobs in its online travel agency business. 02-Oct-2001
Arnolfini is to expand its art gallery in Bristol, having been awarded £7m of National Lottery cash. 01-Oct-2001
Subsea Explorer is planning to build a £20m visitor attraction in Lutterworth that would enable scuba divers to swim with sharks. 01-Oct-2001
Northampton Saints is planning to upgrade its Franklin Gardens rugby stadium at a cost of £7m, in order to increase the capacity to 15,000. 01-Oct-2001
Groupe Flo is looking to sell off its eight Cafe Flo restaurants in London, due to ongoing losses. 28-Sep-2001
EasyEverything is to receive £15m from its founder to save it from insolvency, and a number of internet cafes in continental Europe will be closed. 28-Sep-2001
Fuller Smith & Turner has put its nine late-night venues up for sale, as they have not met up to expectations. 28-Sep-2001
Thomas Cook is planning to shed 510 jobs, including 100 crew at JMC Airlines and 410 travel agency staff. 28-Sep-2001
Alton Towers is seeking permission to build a new £35m hotel with 200 bedrooms at its Staffordshire leisure park, with the creation of 320 jobs. 27-Sep-2001
Shipley Brothers is planning to open a £4m BJ's Bingo Club in Reading, and this will be followed by more sites across the south of England. 27-Sep-2001
Regent Inns is seeking permission to open a 330-capacity Jongleurs comedy club in Reading. 24-Sep-2001
One NorthEast is supporting a £50m Tees Valley Partnership plan to regenerate parts of Teesside, including an ice rink and sports centre in Billingham and schemes to encourage research in the chemical and environmental industries. 24-Sep-2001
Moorfield is forming a £6m joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland to set up a chain of franchised hotels under the Kew Green Hotels brand, with the first opening in Wakefield in 2002. 24-Sep-2001
Belgo is planning to focus on the expansion of its chain of pizza restaurants, instead of the Belgian beer and mussels outlets, and will change its name to Signature Restaurants. 24-Sep-2001
Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries has sold 50 pubs to Barracuda Group, which is backed by PPM Ventures, for £37m. 21-Sep-2001
Wychavon District Council is forming a partnership with a new Anglo-German company called Calypso for the transformation of Droitwich's lido into a multi-million pound spa complex, with the creation of 40 jobs. 20-Sep-2001
Peel Holdings has submitted plans to Salford Council for the development of a 2,000-acre leisure scheme at the Salford Forest Park near Leigh, and the proposals include a new racecourse, hotel and golf course. 18-Sep-2001
Leicester University has revealed plans to build a new £30m training and leisure centre in Oadby, with the creation of more than 100 jobs. 18-Sep-2001
Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council has approved plans from Countryside Properties for a 200-room luxury hotel and conference complex at the Wychwood Park development near Crewe. 17-Sep-2001
Ultimate Leisure is planning to create 200 jobs over the next two years by opening bars in several Northern cities, including Leeds and Sheffield. 13-Sep-2001
Ask Central is planning to open 25 pizza and pasta restaurants this year under the Ask and Zizzi brands, and a further 30 could open next year. 13-Sep-2001
Sir Robert McAlpine has won a £18m contract from Closegate Developments for the construction of a 126-bedroom hotel in Durham. 13-Sep-2001
Liverpool City Council is planning to restore Harthill Botanic Gardens at a cost of £2m, and the site could be reopened to the public within 18 months. 11-Sep-2001
Lady in Leisure has applied for an administration order, while 16 of its 22 health clubs have been sold to Aludel for £3.1m. 11-Sep-2001
The Edinburgh International Conference Centre has announced plans for a £25m expansion, which would double its exhibition space and allow for the hosting of sporting and arts events. 10-Sep-2001
The University of Teesside and One NorthEast have commissioned a feasibility study into the development of a new multi-million pound Hemispherium virtual reality centre, in order to attract businesses and tourists to the area. 10-Sep-2001
Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises is planning to buy 100 more pubs over the next five years, and the first deals are expected in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire. 10-Sep-2001
Rank is hoping to apply for casino licences at up to 60% of its 123 bingo clubs, and has also announced plans to open six Hard Rock cafes in the UK by the end of next year. 10-Sep-2001
Willmott Dixon has won a £8m contract from Linteum Leisure to build two new leisure centres in Stansted, Essex. 06-Sep-2001
Avebury Taverns has bought 35 pubs from Wiltshire-based Burns Leisure for £5m, taking its total estate to 844. 05-Sep-2001
Vale of Glamorgan Council is working on £4m plans to turn Dyffryn House and Gardens into a leading visitor attraction, with up to 160,000 visitors a year. 04-Sep-2001
Bannatyne Health & Leisure is planning to expand its chain of fitness clubs across the country, with new outlets opening in Ayr and Colchester by the end of the year. 03-Sep-2001
Bridgepoint Capital is looking to sell the Shearings coach holiday business for about £130m. 03-Sep-2001
Aberdeen & Grampian Tourist Board is planning to set up a new headquarters at an unnamed location in Aberdeen city centre, and an announcement is expected within six weeks. 31-Aug-2001
Fitness First has awarded a £3m contract to Alfred McAlpine to build three fitness centres in Manchester, Coatbridge and Greenock. 31-Aug-2001
Newport County Borough Council is seeking contractors for the development of a £7m indoor cycling track at the Spytty Park Sports Complex in Newport. 31-Aug-2001
Wakefield Council has approved plans from Capital & Regional Investments for the development of a £40m Xscape ski slope and leisure complex in Castleford. 31-Aug-2001
Le Meridien Hotels is planning to invest £850m in its chain of 155 hotels, in partnership with the owners of the 100 hotels that are under management contract. 31-Aug-2001
Crewe Alexandra has announced plans to build a £1.2m indoor complex at Nantwich, including a new fitness room, hydrotherapy pool and indoor football pitch. 30-Aug-2001
Manchester City Council has revealed plans for the £356m revamp of the Piccadilly Gardens, which include a five-star hotel, a shopping arcade and a new-look station. 28-Aug-2001
Thistle Hotels is to sell its 70-room hotel in Poole to Orb Estates, as part of a £30m redevelopment of the town's quayside area that will include a marina, luxury apartments and a new hotel with up to 150 rooms. 28-Aug-2001
Nomura is considering plans to combine its three pub estates - Unique, Inn Partnership and Voyager - into a single business with 5,500 pubs. 28-Aug-2001
Highland Council is to receive plans for the £35m redevelopment of the Aviemore ski resort in October, and members of the consortium behind the project include Tulloch, Macdonald Hotels and Bank of Scotland. 27-Aug-2001
City of Edinburgh Council is expected to announce plans next month for a £25m expansion of the EICC international conference centre. 24-Aug-2001
Derby City Council is considering plans for the £2m refurbishment of the Playhouse theatre. 24-Aug-2001
Exeter City Council has approved plans from Overload Project Services for the development of a 150-bed hotel and conference centre at Clyst St Mary, which will create dozens of new jobs. 23-Aug-2001
Stanley Leisure is recruiting 400 new staff for its casino division, and is seeking new sites across the country. 22-Aug-2001
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board is helping to fund the development of a £1.6m tourist railway close to the Causeway Coast at Bushmills. 22-Aug-2001
Bradford Metropolitan District Council is considering plans from Skylark Leisure for the development of a £4m football academy near the Eurocam business park, which would create 100 jobs. 22-Aug-2001
World Golf Systems has awarded the worldwide licensing rights for its TopGolf system to IMG, which will lead to the development of computerised golf practice sites in the US and Asia. 22-Aug-2001
Pubmaster has acquired 21 Edinburgh pubs from Solitaire Leisure for £5m, and is now seeking further acquisitions in Scotland. 21-Aug-2001
Cotswold District Council is considering plans for the £6m relocation of a leisure centre in Cirencester to a new building in Kingshill Lane. 20-Aug-2001
Falkirk Council is considering plans from a local consortium for a £18m leisure and housing development, including a new £1.7m football stadium for Bo'ness United. 20-Aug-2001
Christchurch Council is considering plans from Bournemouth-based Main Leisure Holdings for the development of a £3m hotel at the former Pontins site at Wick Ferry. 20-Aug-2001
Hornby is planning to launch pay-to-play Scalextric systems at 57 Megabowl bowling centres, depending on the success of a trial in Croydon. 20-Aug-2001
Scottish & Newcastle is to set up an 85-bedroom hotel in Cardiff Bay, as part of a £7.5m leisure development being planned by Brunswick and Broadhall that will create about 300 jobs. 17-Aug-2001
Southampton City Council is considering plans to privatise the ski centre in Thornhill Road, Bassett. 17-Aug-2001
TRX, the online travel business, is planning to expand the workforce at its Leicester call centre this year from 50 to more than 150. 17-Aug-2001
Ipswich Town has announced a £25m bond issue to fund the redevelopment of its Portman Road football ground. 17-Aug-2001
Hilton's Ladbroke division is planning to move into the Swedish betting market, which is currently run by a state-owned monopoly, by applying for a local gaming licence. 16-Aug-2001
Esporta is planning to open 14 health and fitness clubs a year for the next three years to add to the existing 38. 16-Aug-2001
Solar Bowl Group has announced plans to acquire up to eight new bowling sites by 2003, and is changing its name to the Number Ten group. 15-Aug-2001
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is planning to set up a new £1.2m headquarters at the former Wolseley Garden Park near Rugeley. 15-Aug-2001
North East Lincolnshire Council is to hand over the running of all Leisure Lincs sports facilities to Leicestershire-based Sports Leisure Management in September, and many of the properties will be refurbished. 15-Aug-2001
West Midlands Co-op Travel is planning to open two new travel bureaux in Walsall and Kidderminster, with the creation of 50 jobs. 14-Aug-2001
Whitbread has announced plans to invest £100m in the expansion of its chain of David Lloyd Leisure fitness clubs to 100 over the next five years, with the creation of 4,000 jobs. 10-Aug-2001
Virgin Active has secured a £100m capital injection to fund the opening of a further 17 health clubs by the end of next year. 09-Aug-2001
Topnotch is to acquire two London health clubs from the Espree Leisure division of Esporta for £2.5m. 09-Aug-2001
Honeycombe Leisure has sold eight small pubs to Avebury Taverns for £3.9m, and a further six are expected to be sold in the coming weeks. 06-Aug-2001
The Vale Hotel, Golf and Country Club has announced plans to build a second golf course in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2003, which will be one of the longest championship courses outside the US. 06-Aug-2001
Six Continents is looking to sell nine Posthouse hotels for £30m, including properties in Stevenage, Croydon, Dover, Leeds, Teesside, Manchester, Derby, Lincoln and Nottingham. 03-Aug-2001
Wimbledon Football Club has announced plans to move to a new £40m stadium in Milton Keynes by 2004, but the relocation still requires the approval of the Football League. 03-Aug-2001
Hearts has announced plans to build a new 30,000-seater football stadium at Braehead Quarry on the western outskirts of Edinburgh. 02-Aug-2001
Leeds City Council has approved proposals from the Headingley Development Company to convert the historic Odeon cinema building into a mix of 30 flats and an entertainment venue comprising shops, bars and restaurants. 02-Aug-2001
Virgin Cinemas is planning to open a further 13 cinemas in Japan by 2004, and has already identified 10 sites. 02-Aug-2001
The Heritage Lottery Fund is awarding £10m to the English National Opera, £9m to the Imperial War Museum, £15m to the Natural History Museum and £5m for a new museum in Lincoln. 01-Aug-2001
Whitbread is looking to recruit 90 staff for a new £4m Brewers Fayre and Travel Inn at the Crowood roundabout in Glasgow. 30-Jul-2001
Bath & North East Somerset Council is considering plans for the development of a new sports complex at the University of Bath, which would create about 60 jobs. 27-Jul-2001
MGM Mirage of the US is seeking permission to set up an online casino in the Isle of Man, as the island is expected to issue three licences in September. 27-Jul-2001
SFI, the operator of Bar Med and Slug & Lettuce pubs, is planning to open a further 30 outlets over the next year. 26-Jul-2001
Bolsover District Council has approved plans for the development of a multi-million pound swimming and leisure complex at Hornscroft Park. 25-Jul-2001
Power Leisure of Ireland is planning to move its Paddy Power internet and telephone betting operations to the UK, in order to benefit from the abolition of betting duty. 25-Jul-2001
Center Parcs is to invest £18m in the expansion of its Sherwood Forest holiday village, including a new health and beauty spa, additional apartments and the creation of 70 jobs. 24-Jul-2001
IBR, the event organiser with 113 staff, is planning to relocate to a new £1.5m headquarters at Pride Park in Derby next year, with the creation of 25 jobs. 23-Jul-2001
Sheffield City Council is to consider plans from Sheffield International Venues for the £7m refurbishment of the City Hall concert venue. 23-Jul-2001
Nomura International is planning to refurbish the Cumberland Hotel in London at a cost of £71m, which will include the installation of plasma-screen TVs and electronic beds in each of the 895 rooms. 23-Jul-2001
Hilton's Ladbrokes division is to create up to 1,000 jobs in preparation for the introduction of tax-free betting in October, involving a £40m investment in its 1,900 high street betting shops and the creation of 40 betting superstores. 23-Jul-2001
IG Group is planning to expand its spread betting business overseas by opening a sales office in Pakistan, and may also open an office in Australia. 23-Jul-2001
Luminar has acquired three leisure sites from Whitbread for £1.5m, including two Life cafes in Liverpool and Manchester and a development site in Leeds. 20-Jul-2001
Dorset County Council is planning to relocate the Weymouth Outdoor Education Centre to a new waterfront site in Portland. 20-Jul-2001
London Waterway Partnership is working on plans for the £1.5m regeneration of the canals of Southall and Hayes, as part of a £28m programme to rejuvenate London's 50 miles of waterways. 19-Jul-2001
Swansea Council is set to receive a £11m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to go towards the £75m Waterfront Museum project, which will create up to 240 jobs. 19-Jul-2001
Liverpool City Council is expected to approve plans from Nottingham-based Lace Market Hotels for the development of a £2m hotel in Hope Street, with the creation of 79 jobs. 19-Jul-2001
Birse has won a £5.7m contract to build a football academy at Carrington for Manchester United. 19-Jul-2001
British Waterways is planning to transform the Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich into a leading tourist attraction, including a £1m visitor centre. 18-Jul-2001
Gala is looking to sell the Maxims casino in London for £50m, in order to focus on the high-volume end of the market. 17-Jul-2001
Next Generation Clubs and Arena Call have won government approval to build a £12m indoor tennis centre and multi-sports complex in Hertford. 17-Jul-2001
Millwall is to raise £5m in a share offer to improve the facilities at its London stadium and to strengthen the squad of players. 17-Jul-2001
Fish has announced plans to open five restaurants this year, having found sites in London, Manchester and Solihull, and a further 12 will open next year. 17-Jul-2001
Radisson Edwardian Hotels is to operate a new luxury hotel at Baskerville House in Birmingham's Centenary Square from 2003, with the creation of 200 jobs. 13-Jul-2001
Aberdeen City Council is considering plans from Robert Gordon University for the development of a £4.5m sports centre at the Garthdee campus. 13-Jul-2001
Amber Valley Borough Council is planning to upgrade leisure centres in Alfreton, Heanor and Ripley, at a cost of £12m. 13-Jul-2001
Scott Dunn, the luxury tour operator, is to set up a new administrative headquarters in Chichester with the creation of up to 50 jobs. 13-Jul-2001
The Tower of London has received a £5.4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a number of improvement projects. 13-Jul-2001
Jurys Doyle is to develop a £18m 274-room hotel in Newcastle, and is also targeting Glasgow, Liverpool and Reading. 13-Jul-2001
Cardiff City Football Club is planning to build a new stadium and shopping complex at Leckwith, while the existing Ninian Park ground would be redeveloped as housing. 11-Jul-2001
East Staffordshire Borough Council is considering plans from England Football Enterprises for the development of a £30m national football training centre near Burton. 10-Jul-2001
Marylebone Warwick Balfour has won planning permission for the £300m redevelopment of the Royal Victoria Docks near London's City Airport, which will involve a series of hotels, apartments and offices. 09-Jul-2001
United Norwest Co-op is setting up a new headquarters for its United Co-op Travel division in Burslem, and about 200 staff are expected to be relocated later this year. 09-Jul-2001
The Royal National Rose Society has announced plans for the development of the £20m Diana Memorial Rose Garden on a six-acre site at Chiswell Green near St Albans. 04-Jul-2001
Scottish & Newcastle is linking up with Ballymore Leisure to expand the Shoeless Joe's chain of sports bars in the north of England. 04-Jul-2001
Derby City Council has approved plans from the University of Derby for the £8m extension of the Britannia Mill site, which will involve the creation of a new public arts centre. 02-Jul-2001
Aberdeen Football Club is considering plans to build a £35m stadium in Kingswells, dependent on Scotland winning its bid to host the 2008 European Championships. 02-Jul-2001
Fitness First is planning to expand its chain of fitness clubs from 156 to 190 by the end of the year, and hopes to surpass 700 clubs over the next eight years. 29-Jun-2001
Watford Leisure is planning to raise at least £5m in a flotation on Aim this summer, and some of the funds will be used to secure the freehold of Watford's Vicarage Road football stadium. 29-Jun-2001
Bass is to change its name to Six Continents, in order to reflect its transformation from a brewery into an international hotels group. 28-Jun-2001
Bank of Scotland and RF Hotels are forming a £270m joint venture fund to acquire up to 20 luxury hotels in Europe over the next five years. 26-Jun-2001
Old Monk Company is planning to expand its chain of South African-themed Springbok bars from six to at least 40. 25-Jun-2001
The British Horseracing Board has agreed a £400m deal with the Go Racing consortium for the creation of a 24-hour interactive racing TV channel and online betting operation. 25-Jun-2001
British Waterways is planning the £30m redevelopment of Tower Wharf in Chester, including a hotel, apartments, offices and bars. 21-Jun-2001
Oxford United is looking to recruit more than 100 staff for its new football stadium at Minchery Farm. 21-Jun-2001
Dudley Zoo has secured a £5.5m rescue package to improve facilities, as part of a private developer's multi-million pound scheme to regenerate the Castle Hill site. 20-Jun-2001
Chorion has bought the Red Cube and Sugar Reef nightclubs in London for £7.5m. 20-Jun-2001
Ann Street Group is acquiring nine Jersey pubs and the Channel Islands wholesale distribution business of Bass for £10m. 19-Jun-2001
Coventry City Council is considering plans from Gala Bingo to set up a £3m 1,000-capacity bingo hall on Fairfax Street. 18-Jun-2001
Yates Group is planning to open 12 new bars this year to expand its Ha! Ha! Bar and Canteen chains. 15-Jun-2001
Pubmaster has launched a £453m takeover offer for Wolverhampton & Dudley, and if the bid succeeds it will sell off the four breweries in Wolverhampton, Burton, Hartlepool and Mansfield. 15-Jun-2001
Bradford Council is to consider plans from Yorkshire Co-operative for a £20m city centre development on a four-acre site in Tetley Street, including bars, restaurants, a hotel, nightclub and 70 apartments. 14-Jun-2001
The Welsh Development Agency is supporting plans from Rhiannon to establish a Welsh Gold Visitor Centre at Tregaron, with the creation of 15 jobs. 14-Jun-2001
Macdonald Hotels is to spend £30m over the next two years on its 48 Heritage hotels, including new rooms, leisure and conference facilities. 13-Jun-2001
The Arts Council Of England has awarded a further £90m of grants for projects throughout the country. 13-Jun-2001
Colchester Council is planning to build a £12m art gallery in partnership with Essex County Council, Essex University and FirstSite, having won a £5m lottery grant. 13-Jun-2001
The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry is to be refurbished, having won a £3m lottery grant. 13-Jun-2001
First Choice is considering plans to sell its tour operating business in Canada, which is estimated to be worth £40m. 13-Jun-2001
Jarvis Hotels is planning to change its name to Ramada as part of a strategy to become a hotel management business and reduce its ownership of hotel assets. 13-Jun-2001
Leisure Link, the operator of amusement machines, has received a number of takeover offers and a preferred bidder will be selected over the next eight weeks. 12-Jun-2001
Reading Borough Council is to consider plans from Portfolio Holdings for the transformation of the Friar's Walk shopping centre into a leisure site, including health club and nightclub. 11-Jun-2001
North Somerset Council is to consider plans from Gabriel Estates for the development of a new 80 bedroom hotel at Wrington near Bristol International Airport, which would create 50 jobs. 07-Jun-2001
Newcastle United has submitted plans for a leisure and shops complex near St James's Park stadium, including a 200-bed hotel, cinema, multi-storey car park and 45 flats. 07-Jun-2001
Radisson SAS has reached agreement with The Beetham Organisation to operate a proposed £50m 200-bed hotel and conference centre at the former St Paul's Eye Hospital site in Liverpool. 06-Jun-2001
BS Group is to acquire a 25% stake in E-Tote, the online tote betting operator, in order to expand its greyhound racing business. 06-Jun-2001
Quintain is linking up with English Partnerships to help plan the regeneration of the Millennium Dome site in London. 05-Jun-2001
Belhaven is to invest £12m in the expansion of its chain of 135 Scottish pubs this year, and will start acquiring sites in England. 05-Jun-2001
Airtours has acquired a 20% stake in Aqua Sol Hotels, the operator of 39 hotels in Cyprus and Greece. 05-Jun-2001
Thomas Cook has confirmed plans to create more than 200 jobs in Peterborough, where it will base the headquarters for a new joint venture with British Airways Holidays. 04-Jun-2001
Northampton Borough Council is to consider plans from Bellway Homes for the £20m construction of a hotel or leisure centre, pub and more than 200 homes as the latest phase of the Southbridge development. 01-Jun-2001
Four Seasons Hotels of Canada is to set up its third UK hotel at Dogmersfield Park in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. 31-May-2001
The Royal Shakespeare Company is planning to shed 10% of its 500 jobs in Stratford-upon-Avon as part of a major overhaul of its operation that will also see it quit the Barbican Centre in London. 28-May-2001
British Waterways has unveiled plans for a £25m canal side development at Port Dundas in Glasgow, which will involve new housing, offices and leisure facilities. 28-May-2001
Vienna Group has acquired two former Premier hotels in the West Midlands, including the Express by Holiday Inn in Castle Bromwich and the Howard Johnson in West Bromwich. 25-May-2001
Bass is looking to spend up to £3bn on acquisitions and is particularly interested in expanding the Holiday Inn chain in Europe and the Crowne Plaza and Inter-Continental chains in the US. 25-May-2001
Tewkesbury Borough Council has approved plans from the Jet Age Museum to use the former Gloster Aircraft Company factory in Bentham as a temporary home, while a £1.5m lottery application for a permanent site at Brockworth is processed. 24-May-2001
Leicester City Council has approved plans for the construction of a £3m sports centre at Highfields Youth & Community Centre, with completion due in 2003. 24-May-2001
Close Brothers is to provide £5m of funding to A-Z Restaurants for the development of eight new restaurants over the next two years. 24-May-2001
Leeds United is considering plans to build a new football stadium with a larger capacity than the existing Elland Road site. 24-May-2001
Rank is to relocate the Grosvenor Casino in Blackpool to the Sandcastle on the promenade this summer, at a cost of £3.5m. 22-May-2001
Bass is buying the Regent Hong Kong Hotel from New World Development Company for £241m, and the property will become its fourth Inter-Continental hotel in China. 22-May-2001
Celtic Manor is seeking permission for a £12m redevelopment of the Wentwood Hills golf course in Newport, in order to improve its chances of hosting the 2009 Ryder Cup. 21-May-2001
Marylebone Warwick Balfour has appointed Marriott International of the US to operate a 300-bedroom hotel at West India Quay in London's Docklands. 21-May-2001
Bass is planning to launch a chain of upmarket pizzerias, with the first opening in Guildford in autumn. 21-May-2001
Airtours is to offer seven more holiday destinations from Liverpool Airport, in response to the £30m airport expansion project by owner Peel Holdings. 18-May-2001
City of Edinburgh Council is to consider plans from Waterfront Edinburgh for a £1bn urban redevelopment programme, which would include a new national museum for Scotland as well as housing, schools and commercial space. 18-May-2001
Hilton has sold three hotels in Bath, Edinburgh and Newcastle to Menzies for £26m, and Menzies will spend £4.8m upgrading the properties. 18-May-2001
De Vere is considering plans for a sale and leaseback of some of its hotel and leisure club assets, as part of a review of its financial structure. 17-May-2001
Magna is recruiting a further 30 staff at its newly-opened science adventure park in Rotherham. 16-May-2001
Bourne Leisure has sold 12 freehold caravan parks to a management team backed by Close Brothers Private Equity, creating a new group called Park Resorts. 15-May-2001
Heathcotes has secured £2.5m of venture capital funding to expand its chain of restaurants across the country, and hopes to open 12 additional sites over the next five years. 14-May-2001
Gaming Internet is planning to raise at least £8m in a share placing to fund the development of its online greyhound racing business. 14-May-2001
Luminar has acquired 10 discos from Scottish & Newcastle for £11m, and is planning to further expand its estate of 252 sites by opening 41 new outlets this year. 10-May-2001
Clubhaus has bought Chartham Park Golf & Country Club in West Sussex from American Golf for £2.9m. 09-May-2001
Arena Leisure is to raise £85m in a share placing to help fund the acquisition of media rights for race meetings through the Go Racing consortium. 09-May-2001
Persimmon Homes is preparing plans for the development of a hotel, 800 flats, shops, offices and a marina on the banks of the River Orwell in Ipswich. 08-May-2001
Sagitta is providing £2m of private equity funding to Living Ventures of Manchester for the development of a chain of 25 bar-restaurants called Living Room over the next four years. 07-May-2001
Leeds City Council is to consider plans for the development of a new £9m home for the Northern Ballet Theatre at Quarry Hill. 04-May-2001
HE Services is planning to set up a £3m Diggerland theme park at Verbeer Manor in Willand, Devon, with the creation of 200 jobs. 03-May-2001
Whitbread has outlined plans to create more than 4,000 jobs in the UK over the next three years, and the expansion will include the opening of 80 Brewers Fayre and Brewsters pub restaurants and 10 David Lloyd Leisure clubs. 03-May-2001
Luminar Leisure has announced plans to convert the former Royal theatre in Stoke-on-Trent into two new night-time venues at a cost of £5.8m. 02-May-2001
Compass is considering a £1.85bn takeover bid from Nomura International for its Le Meridien chain of hotels. 02-May-2001
Morrison Developments has won outline permission from the Scottish Executive to build a £20m hotel and leisure scheme in Aberdeen, with the creation of 150 jobs. 30-Apr-2001
Brighton & Hove Council is considering the possibility of developing a £35m conference and entertainments complex on the seafront site of the Brighton Centre. 30-Apr-2001
LHM is to seek planning permission for a 60-room luxury hotel in Manchester city centre next year, as part of a plan to expand its portfolio of Alias Hotels from two to 10 properties over the next two years. 30-Apr-2001
Blackpool Council is to consider plans for the development of a 119-bedroom hotel at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. 27-Apr-2001
Attraction Projects Worldwide, the Beccles-based creator of attractions for theme parks, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of about 30 jobs. 27-Apr-2001
The Rugby Football Union is looking at ways to raise more than £100m to invest in the regeneration of facilities throughout the country, and possibilities include a flotation. 27-Apr-2001
Brighton & Hove Council is drawing up plans to replace the King Alfred leisure centre in Hove with a new one at a cost of up to £10m. 26-Apr-2001
Lady in Leisure is looking to sell its portfolio of 22 fitness clubs, and negotiations are taking place with a number of parties. 26-Apr-2001
Cannons and Hornbeam Park Developments have announced plans to build a £4m fitness club in Harrogate. 25-Apr-2001
The Scottish Wildlife Trust has been awarded £3.7m by the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve facilities at 94 nature reserves around Scotland. 23-Apr-2001
The Theatre Royal at Bury St Edmunds is seeking lottery funding for a £5m refurbishment, which would involve restoring the site to its original design. 23-Apr-2001
Plymouth Argyle is to create an all-seater football stadium on the existing Home Park site at a cost of £4.6m. 23-Apr-2001
Galliford Try has won a £30m contract from Ralph Trustees to build a 200-bedroom hotel in Watford. 23-Apr-2001
De Vere has sold its historic Warrington brewery headquarters to Bruntwood Estates of Manchester for undisclosed terms, and the site will be refurbished into offices. 20-Apr-2001
North Tyneside Council is to consider plans from Glasgow-based Bett Properties for the development of a £40m business park, including a 60-bed hotel and trade centre, near the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate. 20-Apr-2001
The National Trust is planning to set up a new headquarters in the Chippenham area to house 400 staff, which would involve relocating jobs from London, Melksham and Cirencester. 20-Apr-2001
Barnet Football Club has contacted local authorities throughout London to find a new home, and is seeking a site of up to 20 acres. 19-Apr-2001
City of Edinburgh Council is to spend £0.5m restoring a 300-year-old link between Acheson House and the present Huntly House Museum on the Canongate, to create a new larger city museum. 17-Apr-2001
Lincoln City Council and the University of Lincolnshire are seeking lottery funding for a £11m arts and media centre at Brayford Wharf, which would include a 750-seat auditorium, a rehearsal theatre and two small screen cinemas. 17-Apr-2001
De Vere is to open a £12m Village Hotel and leisure club on the Waterford Business Park in Bury later this year, with the creation of 200 jobs. 13-Apr-2001
Harrogate Borough Council is to consider plans for the £8.9m restoration of the 1903 Royal Hall. 13-Apr-2001
Jarvis has won a contract from Accor to build a £6m 210-bedroom hotel in Wembley. 12-Apr-2001
Colchester Council is to consider plans from Bunting & Sons for the development of a £20m John Constable Countryside & Heritage Centre on an 80-acre site in Great Horkesley, which could create up to 300 jobs. 12-Apr-2001
The National Marine Aquarium has been revealed as the operator of Plymouth's £2m Mayflower Visitor Centre, which opens early next year. 11-Apr-2001
Woodhorn Colliery Museum in Northumberland is seeking lottery funding for a £13m development project, including the restoration of former pit buildings and the creation of a new county archive and records office. 10-Apr-2001
Hull City Council has approved plans from Accor UK to build a 105-bedroom Ibis budget hotel on Osborne Street. 09-Apr-2001
Scarborough Borough Council is to consider plans from the Captain James Cook RN Charity Trust to develop a £10m heritage centre in Whitby to celebrate the life of Captain Cook. 09-Apr-2001
Leisure Link, the operator of amusement machines, is considering plans to put itself up for sale with a valuation of up to £300m. 09-Apr-2001
Coral, William Hill, Ladbrokes and other betting groups are expected to return their offshore operations to the UK due to the scrapping of betting tax, which could lead to the creation of up to 1,000 jobs over the next five years. 09-Apr-2001
Whitbread has awarded a contract to Gerald Eve to manage its £1.5bn portfolio of leisure properties, and a dedicated office is being opened in Milton Keynes. 09-Apr-2001
British Nuclear Fuels is to hand over the running of the Sellafield Visitor Centre to the Science Museum in London in a £5.5m deal. 06-Apr-2001
Wrexham County Borough Council is planning to build a new 400-seat theatre next year, as the Arts Council of Wales has approved nearly £4m of Lottery funding. 05-Apr-2001
Devon Wildlife Trust is to shed 12 of the 63 jobs at its Exeter base, due to a fall in funding. 05-Apr-2001
Charlton Athletic has awarded a £9m contract to Stadia Birse for the development of 6,300 new seats at the Valley football ground in south London. 05-Apr-2001
Dunloe Ewart has revealed plans for the new £10m Lanyon Quay waterfront restaurant and entertainment project in Belfast, which is due for completion by the end of 2002. 04-Apr-2001
Gloucester City Council is to consider plans for the £100m redevelopment of the Cattle Market site, including an 80 bedroom hotel, leisure and retail space, and a new business park. 03-Apr-2001
La Tasca is planning to open a further 15 tapas bars and restaurants over the next two years, and is negotiating a £12m funding package. 02-Apr-2001
Sunderland Council has approved plans from Rokeby Developments to build a £3m hotel on the site of the Low Row car park. 02-Apr-2001
Whitbread is seeking planning permission for a £5m 158-bedroom hotel near Vernon Street in Liverpool city centre. 30-Mar-2001
English National Opera is to restore the London Coliseum theatre to its former glory, at a cost of £41m. 30-Mar-2001
North East Lincolnshire Council is to consider plans from Stamford Developments for a £2m health and fitness club on Ladysmith Road in Grimsby. 30-Mar-2001
Premier Dawn has secured £4m of venture capital from 3i to fund the acquisition of seven holiday parks from Bourne Leisure. 29-Mar-2001
Compass has sold two London hotels - the Strand Palace and Regent Palace - to London & Regional Properties for £105m. 29-Mar-2001
City Centre Restaurants is to open 15 new restaurants this year, with most being Frankie & Benny's outlets in retail and leisure parks. 29-Mar-2001
Charnwood Borough Council is planning to build a £3.8m leisure centre and swimming pool to serve six Soar Valley villages. 27-Mar-2001
Ask Central is planning to open a further 28 pizza restaurants this year, including 11 under the new Zizzi brand. 23-Mar-2001
The government has announced plans to build a £87m national athletics stadium at Lee Valley in north London, which will have a capacity of 43,000 and host the World Athletics Championships in 2005. 23-Mar-2001
City of York Council is to consider plans for an expansion programme at York Racecourse, including the redevelopment of a stand. 23-Mar-2001
Glasgow City Council has announced plans for the £7m restoration of the Kibble Palace in Glasgow Botanic Gardens, and an underground visitors centre will be built by 2004. 22-Mar-2001
Bromley Borough Council has welcomed a £21m cash injection from Sport England to upgrade the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, in order to create a regional high performance centre for athletics, swimming, tennis and boxing. 22-Mar-2001
Fish is planning to open a further 20 restaurants by October 2002, taking the total to 28. 22-Mar-2001
Inventive Leisure is to spend more than £8m opening 14 Revolution vodka bars by the end of next year, with the creation of 500 jobs. 21-Mar-2001
Bournemouth Borough Council has announced plans for the £40m refurbishment of the seafront area, the pavilion and the pier over the next five years. 21-Mar-2001
The AA is investing £4m in the acquisition of an undisclosed stake in Thefirstresort.com, the packaged holiday website. 21-Mar-2001
Balfour Beatty's Heery International division has won a £17m construction management contract to refurbish the National Galleries of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy. 21-Mar-2001
Caffe Nero has raised £7.5m in a flotation to fund the expansion of its chain of coffee outlets from 58 to 100 over the next 12 months. 19-Mar-2001
Jurys Doyle has bought the Chamberlain Tower and Chamberlain Park hotels in Birmingham in a £42m deal. 19-Mar-2001
Bournemouth Borough Council is to consider plans from Licet Holdings for the £40m redevelopment of the former Lower Gardens bus station, which will include a multiplex cinema and fitness club. 19-Mar-2001
Sellar Property is submitting plans to Southwark Council to build a 310-metre tower above London Bridge Underground station, which would include leisure, commercial and residential space. 16-Mar-2001
Manchester City Council has raised £5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of Heaton Park to its Edwardian glory. 15-Mar-2001
Camden Borough Council has awarded a £4m contract to Bickerton for the development of a new sports centre. 15-Mar-2001
Cavern City Tours is planning to develop a £10m 120-bed Beatles-themed hotel in Liverpool. 14-Mar-2001
Kingfisher Leisure, the operator of theme bars and discos, has received a takeover approach. 13-Mar-2001
Ebookers.com, the online travel company, is to seek a listing in London later this month in order to get closer to UK investors. 13-Mar-2001
Airtours is planning to sell its £200m overseas hotel portfolio, which will involve a sale-and-leaseback arrangement for properties in Spain and Greece. 12-Mar-2001
First Choice is planning to buy a 75% stake in CIT Holidays, which trades as Citalia, for £15m. 12-Mar-2001
The Arts Council is to increase the annual funding of 200 theatres from £40m to £70m by 2003. 09-Mar-2001
Esporta is looking to invest up to £100m in the expansion of its fitness centres across Europe, and is seeking sites in Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia and Germany. 09-Mar-2001
Arrowcroft is planning to develop a 100-bedroom hotel at Conway Park in Birkenhead, which will create about 100 jobs by 2003. 08-Mar-2001
Styles & Wood has won contracts worth £6m to renovate 10 pubs and bars for Bass Leisure Retail. 08-Mar-2001
Cannons, the operator of 60 fitness clubs, is considering plans for a £260m management buy-out. 08-Mar-2001
Holmes Place is to spend £90m opening 15 health and fitness clubs this year. 08-Mar-2001
Groupe Chez Gerard is planning to open 12 more restaurants by the end of the year, including locations in Leeds, Edinburgh and Birmingham. 06-Mar-2001
Winchester City Council is to consider plans from Grange Park Opera for the £4m refurbishment of the Northington Grange theatre. 05-Mar-2001
Compass is looking to sell its chain of seven Wheeler's fish restaurants and a number of wine bars, in order to raise about £8m. 02-Mar-2001
Gioma Restaurants is planning to spend more than £7m opening new themed restaurants across Europe this year, and aims to expand its chain from 36 to 60 by 2003. 02-Mar-2001
Weymouth Football Club has unveiled plans for a £20m sport and leisure complex, including a 6,000-capacity football stadium, a hotel and conference suite, tennis courts, swimming pools and a ski centre. 02-Mar-2001
Rotherham Council has approved plans for the development of a £4m exhibition centre at the £37m Magna tourist attraction, which is due to open in the spring. 02-Mar-2001
Wembley is looking to sell its 50-acre Wembley Complex site in north London, which includes Wembley Arena and exhibition halls and is estimated to be worth £50m. 02-Mar-2001
Greenwich Council has drawn up plans for the development of a multi-million pound leisure complex in Eltham, including two swimming pools, a health suite and a dance studio. 01-Mar-2001
Leicester City Council is to seek lottery funding for the development of a £11m 25-metre swimming pool in Braunstone by autumn 2003. 01-Mar-2001
Fulham Football Club has won planning permission to build a 30,000-capacity stadium at its Craven Cottage site in west London. 01-Mar-2001
Multiplex of Australia is in negotiations with the West India Quay Development Company to build a £80m 36-storey hotel in London's Docklands, which will be operated by Marriott. 01-Mar-2001
Tote, the state-owned bookmaker, is relocating its internal audit and pools integrity management divisions from London to the new Centre for Trade & Technology Transfer in Wigan. 28-Feb-2001
Bass is planning to double the size of its hotel operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, reaching 1,000 sites by 2006. 28-Feb-2001
The Lawn Tennis Association is planning to build a £20m national tennis centre in west London by 2005. 28-Feb-2001
Fylde Council is considering plans from Carr Royd Leisure for the transformation of the Pleasure Island leisure complex in St Annes into a Victorian-style pavilion and exhibition centre. 27-Feb-2001
Sheffield United has revealed plans for the development of an indoor sports arena, as part of a new football academy complex to be built on a 22-acre site at Shirecliffe. 26-Feb-2001
Lincoln City Football Club has been acquired by a co-operative of supporters and local businesses. 26-Feb-2001
Bassetlaw Council has earmarked a site in Kilton Forest for a £5m leisure development, including a new hotel and indoor tennis courts. 26-Feb-2001
ExCeL has revealed plans for the development of six hotels with a total of 1,200 bedrooms at its exhibition centre in London's Docklands, and a decision on a seventh hotel is expected in the spring. 23-Feb-2001
Bass Retail Leisure and PMG Developments are planning to build a Holiday Inn Hotel with 80 bedrooms on the site of the former Llandarcy sports club, and an application will be submitted to Neath Port Talbot Council. 23-Feb-2001
Hilton is expected to sell 11 UK hotels to Royal Bank of Scotland for about £300m next month, but will retain the management contracts. 23-Feb-2001
Leeds City Council has agreed plans with Metro Holst to set up a £40m four-star hotel at the former Quarry Hill flats in Leeds city centre. 21-Feb-2001
Old English Inns has sold 22 pubs to Quintain Estates for £11m, and is now looking to sell a further 11 outlets. 20-Feb-2001
Scottish & Newcastle is planning to sell 51 pubs to InnSpired Group for at least £15m. 20-Feb-2001
Freedom Direct is recruiting 50 staff at its travel agency call centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 19-Feb-2001
The John Rylands Library in Manchester is to be refurbished, having won £6m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 16-Feb-2001
Cream is planning a global expansion for its nightclubs business, which will involve staging seven major events around the world this year and opening offices in the US, South America and Australia. 16-Feb-2001
Springwood is planning to expand its chain of Zanzibar nightclubs into the south-east this year. 16-Feb-2001
Doncaster Council is to conduct a feasibility study for a new £20m football stadium for Doncaster Rovers. 16-Feb-2001
Nottinghamshire County Council is planning to restore Rufford country park to how it looked hundreds of years ago, at a cost of £8m. 15-Feb-2001
Wiggins is hoping to secure planning permission later this year for a £100m horseracing stadium at Fairlop Waters in London. 15-Feb-2001
Sunderland Football Club is to build a new leisure complex next to its stadium, including swimming pool, sports arena, leisure centre and the creation of up to 500 jobs. 14-Feb-2001
Bass is to sell 988 unbranded pubs to Nomura International for £625m, and Nomura is expected to convert them from managed to tenanted outlets over the next two years. 14-Feb-2001
Colchester United has revealed plans for a £10m 10,000-capacity football stadium at Cuckoo Farm. 13-Feb-2001
Lancaster City Council has approved plans for the development of a business and leisure scheme at Cottams Farm near junction 34 of the M6, including a business park, hotel and fitness centre. 13-Feb-2001
Newcastle Borough Council is considering plans from Morston Assets for a hotel, restaurant and industrial development at Wolstanton, which would create up to 100 jobs. 13-Feb-2001
JJB Sports is to open a new fitness club at St John's Gate in Middlesbrough in the summer, with the creation of about 60 jobs. 12-Feb-2001
Virgin is planning to relocate its online Travelstore business from Ashford to Norfolk, where it already employs 200 people in Gorleston, which will involve new premises and the creation of up to 200 new jobs. 09-Feb-2001
Enic, the sports and media group, is looking to sell stakes in Autonomy and Glasgow Rangers in order to raise about £96m for acquisitions. 09-Feb-2001
Leicester City has won approval to build a £35m 32,000-seat football stadium at Freeman's Wharf. 08-Feb-2001
Ballast Construction has won a £14m contract to build the Laban Centre in Deptford, including 13 dance studios and a 300-seat theatre. 08-Feb-2001
St Modwen Properties has reached agreement with the Brighton West Pier Trust to proceed with the £30m restoration of the pier. 08-Feb-2001
The National Botanical Garden of Wales is to set up a science centre and laboratory at Llanarthne, which will create 44 jobs in research, design and business support. 08-Feb-2001
London Clubs International has been put up for sale following problems with its investment in a Las Vegas gaming complex. 08-Feb-2001
Crest Nicholson has won government approval for a £30m leisure development at Gloucester Docks, including a multiplex cinema, car park, restaurants and retail units. 08-Feb-2001
Associated British Ports is submitting plans for a new leisure and retail development at Alexandra Dock in Grimsby, including shops, a restaurant, pub and possibly a hotel. 07-Feb-2001
Eldridge Pope is to sell six pubs to InnTown Properties for £3.4m. 06-Feb-2001
Ninth Floor has put Swansea City Football Club up for sale, having appointed Seymour Pierce as broker. 06-Feb-2001
Isle of Wight Council is considering plans from Godshill Park Developments for the creation of a 60-bedroom hotel and conference centre in Wootton, which would create about 100 jobs. 05-Feb-2001
Newcastle City Council is in discussions with Newcastle University about plans to develop a £60m arts and heritage complex at the Playhouse theatre site at Barras Bridge. 05-Feb-2001
Coral has secured a £45m cash injection from Morgan Grenfell Private Equity to fund the marketing of its Eurobet online betting service. 05-Feb-2001
The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea has approved plans from Ombeter Properties to build a 236-bedroom hotel at Warwick House in West Kensington. 05-Feb-2001
Ballast has won a £11m contract from Horsham District Council to build a swimming and leisure complex in West Sussex. 01-Feb-2001
Premier Hotels is to build a 96-bedroom Days Inn and a 114-room Howard Johnson hotel at Glasgow airport, in a £8m project that will create 60 jobs. 31-Jan-2001
Sandwell Council has given provisional approval for a £50m leisure and retail complex in Oldbury, including a multiplex cinema, restaurants, superstores, fitness centre and the creation of up to 2,000 jobs. 31-Jan-2001
King Sturge is seeking up to 100 suitable outlets for Arby's, the US fast food company that has awarded its UK franchise to Barown Restaurants of Brentwood. 29-Jan-2001
Lau's Buffet King is planning to open four new Chinese restaurants in the North East this year with the creation of up to 160 jobs. 26-Jan-2001
Fitness First is planning to open a further 50 fitness clubs by October to add to the existing 140. 26-Jan-2001
The Royal Academy in London has bought the neighbouring Museum of Mankind site for £5m, and is looking to raise £40m to develop the building for educational use. 26-Jan-2001
SFI is planning to expand its three main pub brands from 104 to 480 outlets over the next five years. 24-Jan-2001
Ninth Floor is considering plans to float or sell Swansea City Football Club, in order to raise up to £5m. 23-Jan-2001
Dunfermline Athletic has won planning permission for a business enterprise centre, 60-bedroom hotel, swimming pool and leisure facility at its football stadium in Fife. 22-Jan-2001
Grimsby Town is expected to start work on a new football stadium at Great Coates in September, having won the go-ahead from North East Lincolnshire Council. 22-Jan-2001
Stagecoach has submitted plans for the development of a multiplex cinema and entertainment centre at the bus station site in Exeter. 22-Jan-2001
Old Monk Company is planning to spend £10m adding a further 10 branded pubs to its current chain of 28 this year. 22-Jan-2001
Reading Borough Council is to consider plans from Reading College and School of Arts & Design for a £6m development at the Alfred Sutton site, including housing, a mosque and leisure facilities. 19-Jan-2001
Scottish & Newcastle has announced plans to sell off 740 pubs and reorganise its beer distribution by focusing on three regional hubs, which could lead to the loss of 1,300 jobs over the next four years. 18-Jan-2001
Durham City Council is considering plans to develop a new health and swimming complex on the site of the city's baths, with the creation of up to 100 jobs. 16-Jan-2001
Hilton is looking to sell some of its UK hotel property assets in order to raise up to £500m for the development of hotels overseas. 16-Jan-2001
PizzaExpress is to open five restaurants in Spain over the next two years at a cost of £3m, and may open up to 200 by 2011. 16-Jan-2001
Derby City Council is to seek lottery funding for the development of a new library, cinema and arts centre in the city centre, in partnership with Metro Cinema and Q-Arts. 15-Jan-2001
North Lincolnshire Council has approved plans from JJ Gallagher for the development of a £12m leisure complex opposite Glanford Park in Scunthorpe, including a 75-bed motel, fast-food outlets and a health and fitness club. 15-Jan-2001
Southampton City Council has announced plans for the £300m redevelopment of a 50-acre site at the Royal Pier in partnership with Associated British Ports and the Crown Estate, which will involve housing, a hotel and leisure facilities. 15-Jan-2001
Eldridge Pope has sold 18 pubs for £9.5m as part of an ongoing programme of disposals, with Unique Pub Company paying £5.8m for 12 of the outlets. 15-Jan-2001
BS Group is planning to introduce pachinko, the Japanese pinball game, to the UK by setting up a parlour in London this year, following the £10m acquisition of the Miyadera Gaming Centre from Tokyo Plaza Group. 15-Jan-2001
Hilton is to invest £40m in the development of eight new health and fitness clubs over the next 18 months. 15-Jan-2001
Whitbread is considering plans to set up a nationwide network of 100 Touchbase meeting venues alongside Travel Inn lodges, in order to provide office facilities to field-based workers. 12-Jan-2001
Esporta is planning to expand its chain of 31 health and fitness clubs with a further 12 in 2001. 12-Jan-2001
Eton Town House is to open two new luxury boutique hotels in August - one at the former Midland Bank headquarters in London and one in Leeds. 12-Jan-2001
Willmott Dixon has submitted plans to build a £25m 152-bedroom hotel complex at Brunton on Tyneside, which would create 90 jobs. 11-Jan-2001
Peel Holdings is to open a £5m hotel opposite the Trafford Centre in Manchester later this year, with the creation of 40 jobs. 10-Jan-2001
The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth has announced plans for a £7m extension, which will increase floor space by 25%. 10-Jan-2001
Wardle Group has acquired 17 travel shops from the Global Travel Group for undisclosed terms. 09-Jan-2001
Manchester United is to shed 48 jobs in its merchandising operation at Old Trafford, in order to develop the business by setting up partnerships with companies around the world. 09-Jan-2001
Carmarthenshire County Council is to consider plans for the development of a £25m riverside complex in Carmarthen, including a new railway station, a Tesco superstore, offices, shops and a hotel. 09-Jan-2001
Powerleague is to create 40 jobs at a new £1.5m five-a-side football complex in Stoke-on-Trent, and plans to have 25 of the centres across the country by the end of the year. 09-Jan-2001
Hilton is to create a further 140 jobs at its hotel reservation call centre at Atlantic Quay in Glasgow. 08-Jan-2001
Whitbread is expected to sell its chain of 3,000 pubs over the next few months, as part of a strategy to focus on hotels and sports clubs. 08-Jan-2001
North Wiltshire District Council is considering plans from Bowood Estate for the development of a 120-room hotel with conference and leisure facilities and an extension to its golf course. 05-Jan-2001
Chorion is planning to open new Tiger Tiger nightclubs in Leeds, Croydon and Portsmouth this year. 05-Jan-2001
Wimbledon Football Club is considering plans to move from London to a proposed 40,000-seater stadium in Milton Keynes. 05-Jan-2001
London Clubs International is seeking permission to build a £7m casino at Trafford Street in Manchester. 04-Jan-2001
Trafford Council has selected London & Regional as its private sector partner for the £24m redevelopment of Sale town centre, which will involve the refurbishment of the town hall and theatre to provide a new arts and leisure area. 04-Jan-2001
North Devon District Council is to consider plans for the development of a £3m tennis centre at Seven Brethren Bank in Barnstaple. 04-Jan-2001
Glasgow City Council is considering plans from Castle Inns to transform the former ABC cinema in Sauchiehall Street into an entertainment complex. 03-Jan-2001
JD Wetherspoon has announced plans to open 110 pubs in 2001 to add to the existing 462, as part of a £400m expansion programme that will create about 3,000 jobs. 02-Jan-2001
Tulloch is planning to build a £6m hotel and office complex on Glebe Street in Inverness, with the creation of 300 jobs. 02-Jan-2001
Whitbread has announced plans to build a £10m 250-bedroom Travel Inn Metro hotel in the centre of Belfast by December 2002. 02-Jan-2001
RCI Europe is to shed 49 jobs at its Kettering-based travel and holiday exchange business, as part of a reorganisation of its marketing, finance and human resources departments. 02-Jan-2001
Aberdeen City Council is to consider plans from Kenmore Investments for the development of a £15m 114-bed hotel complex in the centre of the city, to be operated by Premier Hotels. 02-Jan-2001
Southend Council has revealed plans for the £15m redevelopment of Southend Pier, and will seek a partner from the private sector. 02-Jan-2001
The information below comes from the
UK Activity Report.
B U
S I N E S S
P A
R K
home page
Leisure 2001
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
Click here for further details
Click here for further details
Copyright UK Business Park 1995-2007