MLA to seek meeting with uni Vice Chancellor over future of Coleraine's Riverside Theatre

The University’s Vice-Chancellor told members of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council that he could not ‘give any assurances’ about the future of Coleraine’s Riverside Theatre.

Professor Paul Bartholomew made the remarks when he was questioned by Causeway Coast and Glens Council Alderman Yvonne Boyle at a meeting on Tuesday, January 7.

Alderman Boyle asked for an update on the theatre: “Are you confident it will continue to operate?”

In reply, Prof Bartholomew said that the theatre’s future was “under review” and it is “quite old now and requires a lot of capital infrastructure improvement”.

“We are looking at it in terms of how we would support that, so I am not in a position to give you that assurance but it is something we are reviewing.”

Reacting to the news, the independent MLA Ms Sugden called the response “disappointing but not surprising given the behaviour around Riverside Theatre over recent years.”

Posting on her Facebook page, the MLA said: “Riverside Theatre is an asset that the leadership of Ulster University should be falling over themselves to protect, not only for community theatre and the arts, but for the university itself and the wider North Coast area.

"While there seems to be a strong conversation about other university campuses across NI, Coleraine seems to be losing facilities rather than gaining. There are unique reasons why students want to study on the North Coast and many choose Coleraine campus over others for these reasons. It baffles me why the university doesn’t build on this.

"I will be seeking a meeting with the VC (Vice-Chancellor) and raising this and wider issues with the Economy Minister.

"Coleraine Campus cannot be allowed to be run down. The university in Coleraine has existed for over 50 years and much of our local infrastructure and economy has been built around it. There are wider consequences for displacing an important asset, employer and educational facility on the North Coast.”

The Riverside Theatre has been sited in the Coleraine campus of Ulster University since 1975.