Glassworks: Sunderland planning application submitted
After months of design work and consultation with artists, makers and creative businesses, Sunderland City Council has received an application to develop the historic former Peter Smith Antiques building in Sunniside into Glassworks: Sunderland, a vibrant hub for glassmaking, ceramics and creative production.
This new project was launched in response to the final closure of the iconic National Glass Centre (NGC) on 31 July 2026, which was strongly criticised and campaigned against by the glass and wider community. The NGC’s owner, the University of Sunderland, cited structural issues, energy inefficiency and a multi-million pound repair bill as reasons that the NGC was no longer financially viable.
Sunderland Culture’s leadership team has said that Glassworks: Sunderland is not a like-for-like replacement for the NGC, but a rescue intervention designed to save the city’s 1,300-year-old glassmaking heritage from disappearing. There will be no café or galleries like the NGC had, but a strong focus on a maker ecosystem.
If planning permission is approved (a formal decision is expected in early autumn 2026), Glassworks: Sunderland will provide specialist facilities, workspaces, learning opportunities and business support for glassmakers and creative enterprises.
The planning application reveals:
The public will be able to access the ground and first floor for classes and activities, but the building is primarily conceived as a space for glassmakers;
Each discipline of glassmaking and ceramics that was available at the NGC will be retained in the new facility;
The building has been designed with equitable access throughout with a lift reaching all floors;
The design retains the historic fabric of the building, with exposed brick, stone staircases and original features from the 19th century Durham and Sunderland County Institute for the Blind;
The upper floors are available for flexible creative offices and maker studios – more studio space is proposed than was available at the NGC;
It will have an energy efficient and decarbonising layout backed by a dedicated on-site substation;
Heat produced from the 1,150oC furnaces will be recovered to warm the co-working and public spaces.
Tom Billington, Chair of Sunderland Culture, which submitted the planning application, explained: “The submission of our application is a significant milestone for Glassworks: Sunderland and for the ongoing transformation of Sunniside.
“It’s important to stress that local, regional and national artists, makers and creative businesses have played a central role in shaping these proposals through workshops, site visits and surveys. Their involvement has helped ensure the project responds directly to the needs of Sunderland’s creative community while building on the city’s internationally recognised glassmaking heritage.
“The progress made to date is hugely encouraging and demonstrates the ambition, partnership and commitment that exists to make this vision for glassmaking a reality.”
Sunderland-based glass artist Helen Gordon said: “The plans for Glassworks are well considered. They include the vital specialist equipment that glass artists like me need to continue producing work and upholding Sunderland’s global reputation for contemporary glass. By providing a sustainable home for glass and ceramic artists, the facility will help safeguard specialist skills, support local creative industries, and ensure that Sunderland remains a leading centre for contemporary glass for future generations.”
If approved, Glassworks: Sunderland is scheduled to open in 2028, leaving a two-year gap between the closure of the NGC and the launch of the new facilities. In the interim, Sunderland Culture is establishing a transition programme including commissions, business support, residencies, bursaries, commissions, temporary workspaces and activities to maintain artist and audience engagement.
A grant of £5 million towards the project will come from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England. Sunderland Culture is leading fundraising to secure match funding to realise the project.
The Contemporary Glass Society supports the development of Glassworks: Sunderland, to keep the possibility of glassmaking alive in Sunderland, as noted in an open letter, but none of the 204 signatories of that letter agreed with the closure of the NGC that brought this situation about.
See the architect-designed images of the proposed Glassworks: Sunderland via Sunderland Culture.
Image: The former Peter Smith Antiques building where Glassworks: Sunderland will be situated if planning permission is granted.