Rain closes part of civic
Part of Sunderland Civic Centre had to be closed this week following heavy rain.
The Sunderland City Council (SCC) HQ’s Committee Suite, had to be shut on Monday for safety checks and cleaning.
And on Tuesday some meetings due to be held in the suite’s rooms had to be moved.
A statement from the council said: “Friday’s rainstorms saw some water getting into the Civic Centre’s Committee rooms.
“Some of the rooms were closed for safety checks and cleaning on Monday.
“All the rooms have now re-opened.”
The closure comes after it was revealed a £44,500 report on the state of the building was still waiting to be released to the public, more than a year since being completed and delivered to the council.
Conservative opposition leader Coun Robert Oliver said the site was “showing its age” and that “something has to happen”.
SCC said more information on the future of the Civic Centre would be released “in due course”.
After our report earlier this week, Echo readers set out their thoughts on our Facebook page, with a number of people suggesting the Civic Centre’s proximity to bus and Metro services at Park Lane Interchange would make the site perfect for a new train station for the city.
Tom Boys said: “A new train station would be ideal situated there.”
Heather Fagan Heather added: “We (would) have a transport interchange all in one place.”
Ian Naylor,however, added: “They will have to build some long flights of stairs and a lot of lifts then to get to the level of the railway!”