Bowmer + Kirkland to build a £54million Global Centre of Excellence at Saints Retail Park in St Helens.

The firm was selected by Network Space Developments (NSD).

The site, previously the former United Glassworks which closed in the late 1990’s, was later developed in part by NSD for a new stadium for St Helens Rugby League which opened in 2011. Remediation and preparatory works will shortly complete and in January 2022, Bowmer + Kirkland will start construction of the transformational global glass research and innovation facility. The 165,000 sq ft scheme is expected to complete in January 2023, ready for fit-out.

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 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). This dynamic and fast-moving partnership has rapidly turned the Glass Futures concept into a deliverable and contracted scheme in less than two years. NSD will continue to manage the delivery of the project through to practical completion. The building has been 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. Property Agents B8 acted for Network Space with CBRE acting on behalf of abrdn.

Catherine Chilvers, Development Director at Network Space, said: "Bowmer + Kirkland starting on site within just two years of the Glass Futures scheme being first conceived is testament to our own commitment to the project and that of an exceptional partnership formed between ourselves, Glass Futures, St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UKRI. Everyone has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and we are grateful to all for their significant efforts. It will be truly fantastic to see a redundant former glass works site being transformed into a global R&D hub, once again securing St Helens position at the forefront of glass innovation and the transition to zero carbon glass production."

Glass Futures has already created 24 FTE skilled jobs and expects to create and accommodate another 50 between now and when the facility is fully operational in 2023. Glass Futures and its partners will create opportunity for apprenticeships, training and upskilling across the glass and other foundation industry sectors. It is also set to attract further inward investment to the region as leading international glass companies focus resources to be within geographical reach of the facility.