Council urged to step in over glass centre closure

The repair costs for the National Glass Centre in Sunderland have been disputed

Campaigners have called on a council to step in and help "reverse" a decision to close the National Glass Centre.

During a public meeting, a group that wants to save the building said it wanted the local authority to hold the University of Sunderland to account for its decision to close the site in July.

Campaign chair Carolyn Basing said "the most important act the council can take at the moment is to persuade the university to pause its closure plans".

Council leader Michael Mordey, who also sits on the university's board of governors, said the glass centre had been running "at a significant loss for a long time" and the proposed replacement hub Glassworks was a "perfectly viable option".

The centre opened in 1998 but the building and land has been owned and managed by the university since 2010.

It previously said it had been "completely transparent" in its decision and no-one had "come forward to offer any financial support" towards fixing the building.

'Heritage hub'

Extra seats had to be provided after more than 100 people - including local councillors and students - turned up to the event on Wednesday evening.

The meeting was held as an artwork clock counted down the time left until the venue closes its doors next year.

The closure has been blamed on "unaffordable" repair costs, put at between £14m and £45m, which campaigners have disputed.

These were questioned again during the meeting and the building's maintenance was also criticised.

Campaigners Anne Loadman, Carolyn Basing and Nigel Taylor are among those who have called for Sunderland City Council's support

Campaigners also set out ideas for the future of the centre, including expanding its online offer, renting out empty spaces for conferences and events, and also turning it into a "heritage hub" that could signpost people to other landmarks.

"We fully accept that the building needs work, but the business model within the building also needs a lot of work," Ms Basing told the meeting.

"There are some serious challenges ahead. What we would like to do is not easy, but it is doable."

Labour councillor Denny Wilson, who supports the campaign, said it was time for the council "to do their bit"

Labour councillor Denny Wilson, who had threatened to resign unless a public meeting about the fate of the venue was held, said it had been "fantastic".

"Now it's up to the council to do their bit and everybody else to do theirs."

'Better way forward'

Mordey told the meeting the glass centre had been running "at a significant loss for a long time" with costs put at about £800,000.

He said the council could not afford to fund the facility and that there was a "perfectly viable option" in the proposed replacement hub Glassworks.

"I just didn't want to come in and leave everyone on the false impression that the city council could ride in and save the day," he said.

However, he said he would be supportive of other options that were mentioned - such as the National Trust's proposed Safe Harbour scheme, which would aim to protect heritage assets at risk of disposal and ensure they are maintained and repurposed for public benefit.

The campaign group said it had not asked the council for money but for its support.

"Clearly the university wants to support Sunderland and works with Sunderland and that means that the council can be really important for negotiating with the university to establish a better way forward," Ms Basing said after the meeting.

"As we've made it clear, the campaign would like the council to assume control or to intervene in a way that allows for a stay of execution and then that allows time for a much more carefully considered approach to how to reinvigorate the National Glass Centre."