Concerns grow over future of science centre

Published on Thursday 13 February 2003 00:00

OFFICIALS at the troubled Glasgow Science Centre are devising a new five-year business plan in a bid to reassure major funders about its long-term prospects.

The centre announced rising visitor numbers yesterday, but Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, its second largest backer, still regards it as high risk and is understood to remain concerned about its viability.

Brian Weddell, the Pacific Quay attraction’s new chief executive, was also unable to allay SEG’s principal concern by refusing to say when the centre’s fault-plagued 10 million tower would reopen.

SEG, which contributed 13 million to the 75 million complex, is worried about hundreds of thousands of pounds of lost revenue since the tower has remained closed for much of the time since the centre opened in June 2001.

The centre was forced to make 15 staff redundant last July because of its financial troubles.

Mr Weddell announced that a solution had been found to the failed thrust-bearing in the 400ft structure’s conical base that caused the tower to sink by half an inch.

The spherical bearing, the size of a coffee table, will be substituted for a specially-manufactured replacement.

However, Mr Weddell refused to give further details about the repair, its cost or when it was likely to open. He said: "We are confident the tower will work and want it open as soon as possible."

Centre officials said last month that the work was expected to take 12 weeks, which would leave the tower closed until after Easter, the centre’s busiest period.

However, it is understood that the proposed repair has yet to be tested because of a contractual wrangle over liability for the fault, which has delayed progress for months.

Sources close to SEG, who were not informed about yesterday’s announcement, said: "The centre is still in a high-risk situation and the SEG board remains very uneasy. We will want to see new projected figures by April."

Mr Weddell also refused to comment on the size of the centre’s operating deficit, which is believed to be approaching 2 million.

He said: "We are putting together a five-year business plan, which will include forecast visitor numbers, so we can release information with certainty. We are looking for long-term stability."

Mr Weddell said visitors increased by 6 per cent to 20,500 last month compared to last January, with figures for the last three months of 2001 up by more than a fifth. He said this bucked the trend of attractions seeing visitors decline in their second year.

A total of 800,000 people have visited the centre, with those visiting both the science mall and IMAX cinema bringing admissions to 950,000.