£54m Glass Futures facility expected to be completed in January

Work on the Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens at the former United Glass site has been progressing over the course of this year.

Contractors Bowmer + Kirkland started on site in January 2022, on the 165,000 sq. project.

The facility 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 on a state-of-the-art line, both collaboratively and individually.

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Delivery of the project was conceived and is being managed by landowner and developer Network Space Developments (NSD), on behalf of a partnership including not-for-profit research organisation Glass Futures; St Helens Borough Council; the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UKRI (UK Research & Innovation).

NSD will continue to manage the delivery of the project through to practical completion. Earlier this year the building was presold by NSD to global investor Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust, part of abrdn, to secure forward funding and conclude a viable delivery strategy.

The facility will be close to Saints' Totally Wicked Stadium, at the former UGB site in Peasley Cross (Image: St Helens Star)

The project is on course to be completed by the end of January 2023, the Star understands, when the site will be ready for internal fit-out.

Earlier this year, Catherine Chilvers, development director at Network Space, said: “We’re delighted with the progress so far on-site with a completion date of January 2023 still very much in our sights.

"The outline structure of the facility is now visible and symbolises the scale and ambition of both St Helens Council and the Glass Futures project to bring significant investment and skilled jobs back into St Helens and the wider Liverpool City Region economy.

She added: “None of this would have been possible without the exceptional partnership formed between NSD, Glass Futures, St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UKRI.  The partnership is proud to see the noticeable progress being made on site following the tremendous efforts to achieve this key milestone.”

Glass Futures (Image: St Helens Star)

David Baker, project manager on the Glass Futures’ site for B+K, added: “We’re making significant progress on site with the steel frame now completed and roofing works commenced. The B+K team is proud to be part of this iconic build for St Helens and its future role in glass manufacturing and development in the area.

"The scheme is transformational in every sense, not just for the town but also for its future contribution towards zero carbon production in the global glass industry.”