Science Mall closes to public after a day

A landmark science attraction was yesterday forced to close its door to the public just a day after it opened.

The Science Mall, which was the second phase of the £75m Glasgow Science Centre to open on the south bank of the River Clyde, is still awaiting a public entertainment licence. It emerged yesterday that about 1,000 visitors who arrived for the attraction's first day could not be charged an entrance fee because of the delay in obtaining the licence.

The centre said the full public opening of the Millennium Project building was now being delayed until Thursday.

A spokesman, David Grimmer, said: "The full public opening of the Science Mall, the main exhibits building at GSC, has been delayed.

"Although GSC has fulfilled the requirements of building control, environmental health, and the firemaster, the granting of a full public entertainment licence is still awaited. Although GSC and Glasgow City Council are working together to resolve the issue it will not be possible to admit the paying public until after 28 June."

The Imax theatre, the first phase of the complex which opened last October, continues to operate as normal, GSC officials said.

The Science Mall is the main attraction of the centre, which is expected to receive up to 600,000 visitors a year. The four floors of the mall house hundreds of interactive exhibits made up of light beams, mirrors, optical illusions, audio and computer displays and water tanks.

Among its attractions is Britain's first publicly accessible virtual reality theatre, Scotland's biggest planetarium and solar sunflowers. The three floors above ground level focus on the themes of exploration and discovery; creativity and innovation and issues and impacts.

The mall and the Imax theatre are the first titanium-clad buildings in the UK.