Historic building takes step towards future

Design and enabling works that will preserve and prepare a historic Sunderland building for the future has been signed off by the city's cabinet.

Sunderland City Council's cabinet has approved a programme of works that will preserve the former Peter Smith's Antiques building in Sunniside and prepare it for future occupation, with plans being developed by Sunderland Culture to transform it into a new glassmaking hub.

The approval means the council is set to leverage a UK Shared Prosperity Grant of £2.4m from the North East Combined Authority to deliver a programme of essential repairs and enabling works to secure the integrity of the heritage property, built in 1882, in readiness for future fit-out.

The works will include repairs to the roof, windows, masonry and concrete structure as well as mechanical and electrical upgrades, and is expected to commence in the coming months, reaching completion by the end of March 2026.

The funding will also support more detailed design and feasibility work for the Glassworks: Sunderland project, which is being led by Sunderland Culture, and seeks to create a new home for glassmaking in the city. 

Glassworks: Sunderland - for which Sunderland Culture has separately secured £5m of support from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport's Cultural Development Fund - will enable the centuries long tradition of glassmaking to continue in the city. 

Councillor Kevin Johnston, portfolio holder for housing, regeneration and business at Sunderland City Council, said: "This is a fantastic step forward in our aim to restore a key heritage building to enable further investment.

"We're pleased to have been able to secure funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to carry out works that will enable this important building to be preserved, and - of course - we're buoyed by plans being prepared by Sunderland Culture to preserve glassmaking in the city."

Councillor Johnston added: "Glassmaking is a centuries old skill that Sunderland is incredibly proud of and we look forward to preparing this building for a future use and working with Sunderland Culture as they develop plans for a new facility for creators and artisans to continue this tradition."

Glassworks: Sunderland is set to catalyse Sunniside's creative community, with the former antiques warehouse in Borough Road having been earmarked as an existing building that could be re-purposed  to house a glass-making facility.  The plans will help regenerate the Sunniside area and complement neighbouring creative investments at venues like the Norfolk Hotel, as well as wider plans for this part of the city.

Sunderland Culture - which bid for the £5m from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - is leading the plans for Glassworks: Sunderland.

Nick Malyan, chief executive of Sunderland Culture, said: "This is another exciting step towards the creation of a new creative hub in Sunniside, that will allow generations of glassmakers to continue to create, right here in Sunderland."

Glassworks: Sunderland is intended to become a nationally significant centre of excellence for glassmaking, connecting Sunderland's 1350 years of glassmaking heritage and the city's creative future. The expectation is that it will be one of the few places in the UK with specialist glassmaking facilities for artists and participants to create and produce in glass - safeguarding glassmaking in the city, driving growth and productivity among creative businesses, and supporting cultural regeneration and placemaking.