Sunderland City Council’s new Reform UK-led administration has announced plans to fund investigations into whether the National Glass Centre (NGC) can be saved from demolition.

The landmark riverside visitor attraction officially shut at the end of July following a dogged fight by protesters against the University of Sunderland’s controversial decision.

Save the National Glass Centre campaigners have since vowed that “the fight goes on” and are urging Sunderland City Council to use planning legislation to invoke an Article 4 direction.

This would remove the university’s automatic permitted development rights and force it to submit a full planning application before any demolition could take place.

The National Glass Centre closed on July 31.

placeholder image — The National Glass Centre closed on July 31.

Now the council has agreed to spend around £25,000 to “fund two separate independent contractors to carry out the investigation and evidence-gathering work needed to build the strongest possible case for Article 4 protection”.

A Reform UK statement added that “if Article 4 is going to succeed, it needs a robust and defensible evidence base”, which means “doing the work properly and giving the council the strongest possible foundation on which to act”.

Councillor Chris Eynon, the council’s leader, in a video posted on the party’s official Facebook page, said the “current Reform council are doing everything they can to try and save this fantastic building”.

He added: “We’ve commissioned two independent contractors to actually speed up the evidence-gathering stage for our ongoing Article 4.

“So as long as this building still stands, the fight goes on.”

The Save the National Glass Centre campaign, which has urged the university to reconsider its closure decision, has welcomed the £25,000 commitment, describing it as a “significant and welcome step forward”.

Campaign chair Carolyn Basing said campaigners were “encouraged that the new administration has recognised that this is too important to leave to drift” and said “independent evidence needed to build the strongest possible case for protection can now be gathered”.

She added: “We want the work done properly, independently and urgently, and we then want the council to act on the evidence.

“They know they’ve got full cross party support and the backing of all five main parties in Sunderland.”

A spokesperson for the University of Sunderland said: “The university has remained committed to transparency in its decision-making and this will continue as we move forward.

“We have, and will continue to, follow all legal planning requirements in relation to the proposed demolition of the building.

“The National Glass Centre was closed to the public on July 31, 2026.

“Despite a range of conversations with individuals and organisations, no feasible plan emerged to meet the significant financial requirement for capital works, or the £800,000 annual subsidy funded by the university, required to provide the NGC with a viable future.

“Throughout the process, the university has been clear that almost 90% of its income is derived from student tuition fees.

“In a period of significant financial challenge across the higher education sector, our priority has been to protect teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities for current and future students.”