The 165,000 sq ft Glass Futures Centre of Excellence is expected to complete in January 2023, ready for internal fit-out.
Network Space Developments (NSD) has appointed building contractor Bowmer & Kirkland to deliver the building at Saints Retail Park, occupying a site with links to the town’s glass industry heritage.
Delivery of the project is being managed NSD as landowner and developer on behalf of a partnership including not-for-profit research organisation Glass Futures, St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UK Research & Innovation.
The building has been pre-sold by NSD to Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust.
It has been pre let to St Helens Borough Council on a 15-year head lease and will be sub-let to Glass Futures, which will occupy and manage the building to deliver industry and government-backed research and development projects focused on decarbonising glass production. It will also provide a platform for the industry to access an experimental scale furnace to test and run trials for implementation at commercial scale.
A ground-breaking ceremony this week was attended by representatives of Glass Futures, Network Space Developments, St Helens Borough Council, Liverpool City Region, Bowmer & Kirkland, UKRI and the government, as well as local MPs.
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Just a few months ago, the UK hosted world leaders at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. It was agreed there that urgent action is needed to tackle the emergency we face from climate change. Glass Futures is a prime example of how we can do that – whilst also building back from the economic fallout from Covid-19. St Helens has always been a global leader in the glass industry and Glass Futures will be a key part of making sure it retains that role in the future of the industry as it decarbonises, whilst being a key driver for jobs and skills.”
Glass Futures’ Chief Executive, Richard Katz, said: “For the future of mankind, it’s essential the world wakes up to the damage it’s doing to itself and collectively acts now to dramatically reduce fossil fuel emissions whether from industry, transport, agriculture or domestic heating. The Glass Futures’ hot glass experimental facility is a substantial stepping stone to cutting emissions, designed to work both collaboratively or privately with industry to identify and deliver sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. We welcome any approaches from potential industrial partners who want to join us on this journey.”
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