The Curve will not close Slough Borough Council leader has pledged – but opening hours may be cut if a hoped-for deal with a university goes through.

Fears for the future of The Curve – which hosts Slough’s central library and a performance venue – were raised after the council said it would ‘investigate’ cost saving measures next year.

But council leader Dexter Smith has told the Observer he wants to keep the library and performance space open to the people of Slough. He said: “We haven’t taken the decision to close it or sell it – we’re doing everything we can find a more fit-for-purpose use for it.”

Slough Borough Council leaders agreed earlier this year to ways to save £730,000 on running The Curve next year. Spending plans suggested the council should ‘explore the closure or find alternative use of The Curve’.

READ MORE: 'Save The Curve', petition demands after closure threat

It prompted campaigner and former Labour councillor Preston Brooker to launch a petition to ‘save The Curve’ which he hopes will be presented to the council next month.

But Conservative leader councillor Smith says he wants the council to keep the curve – but bring in a university as a private tenant to run it.

He says he’s had ‘three expressions of interest’ from higher education providers, including Thames Valley University which closed its Slough campus in 2010.

Councillor Smith said none of the providers ‘seem to have a problem with the idea that they retain the library and performance space that they can use but will also be available to the public.’

He admitted that public opening hours might be cut to suit new tenants – but he said as the landlord the council would be able to ensure Slough residents still get some access.

He also said other council services run at the building – such as the registrars’ office – could be relocated to a new council hub that could open elsewhere such as its Observatory House headquarters on Windsor Road.

He said: “The primary operation of the library would be under the management of the university or universities. It would be for them to work out how best they can serve their students.

“But inevitably there would be peak times where there’s less capacity to make it available to the public.”

“That’s what we would want to thrash out with them in negotiations – as the landlord we can set conditions.”

He added: “The building is ours and that’s the way we’d like to keep it. But The Curve is a very large space and costs us in excess of £900,000 a year to maintain. You can’t recoup that from a public library service. The council has to cut its cloth according to the situation its in.”

Councillor Smith said there would be no changes until residents had been informed and consulted on any plans, which he said would be an ‘enhancement’ rather than a cut.

He said: “I don’t want to see it lost either to the council or the people of Slough – and that’s my pledge to you.”