TUV Vice-Chair slams Riverside Theatre closure as 'an offload' reflecting 'marginalisation' of UU Coleraine campus
A Causeway Coast councillor has branded Ulster University’s decision to close the Riverside Theatre as ‘an offload’, which he says, reflects the ‘ongoing marginalisation’ of the Coleraine campus.
TUV Vice-Chairman and councillor Allister Kyle said it was disappointing that Ulster University, on whose Coleraine campus the theatre is situated, “has chosen not to work constructively with the council to explore options to keep the Riverside Theatre open.
"Instead, the university presented a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum: unless council agreed to take on the lease, full running costs, and liabilities, the theatre would close in summer 2025.
"This is not a partnership – it’s an offload. And once again, it reflects the ongoing marginalisation of Coleraine in favour of the university’s Jordanstown and Magee campuses.”
Noting that the theatre “has meant a great deal to me personally”, Cllr Kyle added: "It didn’t have to come to this. I firmly believe a solution could have been found if the university had been willing to engage properly.
"But council cannot be expected to shoulder all the costs and risks, particularly when we lack the specialist expertise to run such a venue.
"It’s also regrettable that no support or intervention came from Stormont’s Department for Communities, despite the cultural and economic importance of the theatre.
"The closure of the Riverside will be a massive loss to Coleraine and the wider Causeway Coast and Glens area – not just in terms of the arts, but in the vibrancy, identity, and opportunities it brought to our community,” he concluded.