New £54 million development in St Helens begins to take shape

Construction started at the Glass Futures development in February.

In the last few weeks the steel structure of the global glass research and innovation facility has started to form.

Located at the former United Glass site in Peasley Cross, it is adjacent to Saints' Totally Wicked Stadium.

The site will be a cutting edge enterprise looking to cut carbon emissions - with links to the historic glass industry for which the town is famed.

Network Space Developments (NSD) appointed Bower & Kirkland as building contractor last year and construction on the 165,000 sq ft facility is well underway.

The facility has been pre-let to St Helens Borough Council on a 15-year lease and then sub-let to Glass Futures - which will occupy and manage the building to deliver industry and government-backed research and trials.

The investment is planned to bring a host of social and economic benefits to St Helens and the wider region, including commitments to local employment opportunities and apprenticeship hours.

Construction work is planned to be completed in January 2023.

Putting St Helens once again at the forefront of glass innovation

Speaking earlier this year, St Helens Borough Council Leader, David Baines, said: "Over the next year, the glass research and innovation facility will be built on the brownfield site of the former United Glassworks, with a focus on decarbonising glass production.

"It will once again put St Helens at the forefront of glass innovation and help us play a significant role in the Green Industrial Revolution, leading the way for other industries to cut their carbon emissions.

How Glass Futures will look

"The fact that work has begun only two years since the scheme was conceived is testament to some exceptional partnership working, and I’d like to thank Glass Futures and everyone involved for their efforts in getting us to this stage."