Concerns raised about glass centre's repair costs

A council is to press a university for more details about its decision to close the National Glass Centre.

The University of Sunderland said it would close the centre next year because damage to the building would cost between £14m and £45m to repair.

But Sunderland City Council has now said it has concerns about the accuracy of the estimated repair bill.

The local authority is expected to write to the university and demand more information about the National Glass Centre's repair costs and finances.

A motion put forward by councillor Michael Hartnack ahead of a council meeting later said: "Preserving Sunderland's glassmaking heritage is vital to the city's cultural offer as well as the council's economic growth ambitions.

"The university has taken this decision due to what it claims are unaffordable repair costs and sustained operating losses. The council expresses concern regarding the accuracy of the cost estimates so far presented."

The council is set to ask the university how much of a loss the Glass Centre was operating at and whether the losses reflected changes made to the centre's facade in 2022.

Councillors also want to know how the university accounts for the Glass Centre's income and expenditure and will request all documents relating to the university's ownership of the site.

Earlier this year, the government announced £5m in funding was being provided to build Glassworks Sunderland, a new glass-making hub designed to replace the National Glass Centre.

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

But the motion has criticised Glassworks Sunderland and said the new scheme "fails to address the loss of expertise" caused by the closure of the national centre.

It added the plan "ignores the economic implications for the surrounding area, and is itself only partially costed".

The council has also requested the publication of a report detailing the ownership and costs of operating the proposed centre.

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