University welcomes Glass Centre closure questions

There are concerns over the accuracy of the repair bill for the glass centre

Sunderland University has said it welcomes questions from the local authority over the decision to close the National Glass Centre.

The chief executive of the council is expected to write to the university and demand more information about the centre's repair costs and finances after a motion was passed on Wednesday evening.

Save the National Glass Centre campaigners said they were "surprised and delighted" to see cross-party support for the move, and called for the building to be taken into public ownership.

A spokesperson for the university said it had been "completely transparent in its decision making" about the closure.

The National Glass Centre is set to shut in July 2026.

The university had said damage to the building would cost between £14m and £45m to repair - and "no individual or organisation" had offered financial support towards the refurbishment.

But the motion, put forward by Conservative councillor Michael Hartnack, questioned the accuracy of the estimated repair bill.

It also demanded information about the site's ownership and finances.

A university spokesperson said consultation reports about the repair costs had been available to the public on their website for the past two years.

"We welcome the questions from the chief executive of Sunderland Council and will continue to be open and transparent in our answers," they added.

'Genuinely heartened'

A spokesperson for the campaign group to save the centre said the latest development was "a powerful and encouraging step forward".

They said: "For years, we have been calling for local leadership to stand up for the National Glass Centre, and we're genuinely heartened that councillors have united to take action.

"We also renew our call for the University of Sunderland to be more transparent about the circumstances leading to the closure."

A university spokesperson said it had accepted an invitation to appear at the council's Economic and Prosperity Committee in January over the closure, but was asked to provide a written statement instead due to the number of items on the agenda.

"This was supplied as requested," they said.

Glassworks, the proposed replacement of the glass centre, has faced criticism

The upcoming letter is also expected to ask questions about Glassworks, the new facility set to replace the centre.

It would be based in the former Peter Smith antiques warehouse in Sunniside and be run by arts organisation Sunderland Culture.

However, the motion said the new scheme "fails to address the loss of expertise" caused by the closure of the national centre and was only "partially costed".

The £7.5m facility has secured £5m from the government's Cultural Development Fund, with efforts under way to raise the remaining £2.5m.

A spokesperson for Sunderland Culture previously said its fundraising target reflected the costs "for making the building fit for purpose as a glass-making space".