Over 20 charities working in Newcastle city centre have been told that they will lose their office after the building was sold to Northumbria University.
Charities based at MEA House on Ellison Place were informed on Monday evening that they will have to relocate following an exchange of contracts between owners MEA Trust and Northumbria University on Tuesday, June 13. Tenants will have until next summer to find a new premises and will be supported by MEA Trust and Northumbria University during the process.
The sale will allow the university to expand its existing campus and the Grade II listed building will undergo a multi-million-pound refurbishment as part of plans. Michael Spriggs, chairman of the MEA Trust, said selling the site was a "difficult decision" but that the trust could not afford to keep up the maintenance of the building.
Read more: Newcastle charities told to find new home as city hub sold to Northumbria University
But today charities spoke of their disappointment at the sudden sale of the site, with some expressing concerns over the additional costs this will incur for charities operating in financially challenging times.
Michael Fawole, Centre Director of North East Law Centre, which has been based at MEA House for over 10 years, said: "For me it's how sudden this announcement was. We were totally unprepared for it and I would have thought that our landlord of many years would have given us a heads up.
"I can understand sometimes commercially sensitive information is not always shared but I feel that there was a duty of care to give us a heads up that they were potentially looking to sell. That would have given us time to think and plan rather all of us running helter skelter."
"It's surprised everyone. I'm not mad at them because I know that if it's not profitable if they can't get investment. But we have been there for years and some have been there many, many years and we deserve better."
North East Law Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that provides specialist legal advice to people living and working in the North East, on matters including family, education, immigration, discrimination and employment. Michael said that the organisation is looking at options for its future, including researching whether there are any partners they could co-habit with at venues within the city.
Michael added: "The news has come as a shock to me, as I imagine it has done to a lot of people. Natural human instinct kicks in and people get worried about where they're going to move to. We could have managed that better if we had known in advance.
"Although it's unexpected and we didn't prepare for it, we're here and we can now start to think about what we need over the longer period. I have meetings with our staff and trustees to go through our options."
Elaine Langshaw, chief executive officer of Newcastle Women's Aid, also expressed her shock at the sale and she was "sad for the city" because so many important charities were based at the site. The charity provides domestic abuse support from its MEA House base.
Elaine said: "As a tenant of MEA House, Newcastle Women's Aid were informed along with all tenants about the sale of MEA House late [on Monday] by email and letter from the MEA Trust.
"We were shocked as we had no prior indication this was happening. We have provided specialist domestic abuse support services from our base at MEA House for the last six years. The location works so well for women and girls who need our services.
"We are sad for the city of Newcastle as MEA House is home to a range of charities who provide essential support and services to all communities. We hope they can continue to do so in a new location within the city, we know the costs of relocation will be expensive and as charities, this will be an unexpected cost to incur."
Elaine confirmed that Newcastle Women's Aid is not closing and those who access the charity's services will still be able to access help.
Elaine added: "We want to confirm Newcastle Women's Aid is not closing. This is really important to know as we do not want anyone experiencing domestic violence and abuse to think they cannot access help, this would increase risk. Newcastle Women's Aid have provided specialist support to thousands of women and girls for over 45 years in the city and we will continue to do so."
MEA House was the first purpose-built office accommodation building designed specifically for a collection of charities nationally. It was the brainchild of Mungo Campbell, a local businessman who had made his money in shipping and was opened by the Queen in 1974.
Today the building is home to a wide-rage of charities, providing a rage of services including mental health support and counselling, abortion care, help for victims of domestic abuse, legal advice and support for people seeking employment.
UKEC, a charity which provides support for international students, is also based at the site and will be impacted by the sale of the building.
A spokesperson for the charity said: "We are saddened to be leaving the MEA building as it has been our home in Newcastle for many years. However, we are committed to the city and are now seeking alternative space within the centre to ensure all the international students in the city can continue to access our free services and support right on their doorstep."
RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) held meetings and conferences from MEA House. Speaking about the sale of the site, Dave Morris, RSPB Area Manager, said: "MEA House has provided a convenient and welcoming meeting space for us and other charities for many years. We're sad to hear of its closure and we will continue to explore other options in the city."
The MEA Trust chairman, Michael Spriggs, said that the investment needed to keep MEA House in a satisfactory condition is "significant and too large for the trust to fund without increasing rents to substantially above market rates."
Michael added: "After lots of careful deliberation and professional advice, we have made the difficult decision to sell the property. Northumbria University has purchased the building to gain much-needed additional space on its campus and will undertake a multi-million-pound refurbishment of MEA House to bring it up to expected modern standards.
"We are working closely with all our tenants to help them find alternative office space and the university is being as flexible as possible, giving us a generous amount of time to complete relocations. We are looking at the future of the trust and how it can, with limited resources, best support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector."
British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which provides abortion care from its MEA House office said it was "disappointed to hear the news of its sale".
A BPAS spokesperson said: "BPAS has welcomed being based at MEA House, which provides us with an accessible and confidential site for our clinic, and was disappointed to hear the news of its sale. We remain committed to providing abortion care for women across Newcastle and beyond, and are actively looking for premises in the city. We plan to remain in MEA House until April 2024, and if any women need us they can contact us as usual on 03457 30 40 30."
The comments were echoed by Community Counselling Cooperative, which also reflected on "worrying times" for the voluntary sector in North East.
A spokesperson for Community Counselling Cooperative, a community interest company, said: "In the last few years we have resided in four Newcastle locations that have each ceased to remain charitable - Broadacre House, Bamburgh House, Commercial Union Building and MEA House. We rely on the goodwill of trusts and local authorities to exist as a socially-minded enterprise. These are worrying times for the voluntary sector in our region - and for the vulnerable people who rely on our collective services."
A Northumbria University spokesman said: "We are delighted to have subsequently agreed terms on the purchase of MEA House in summer 2024. The acquisition of the building will enhance our student's learning experience, as well as provide new research facilities for Northumbria staff at the heart of our city campus.
"The university is working with MEA Trust to be as flexible as possible to allow tenants time to find alternative space before any renovation work is undertaken."
