THE vision to transform the Pilkington Watson Street Works site will be the subject of a second town centre exhibition later this month (September).
The new consultation event will build on the feedback received from the first public event, which took place in July.
Pilkington UK, part of the NSG Group, produced glass at the site in St Helens, on the edge of the town centre, for almost 200 years.
The glass giant said that during that time, technology "has evolved and buildings on the site have been built, adapted, and demolished to suit these changing requirements".
The company says it is time for a new chapter for the site.
The consultation event explores a new vision for the Watson Street site after Pilkington relocated glass production to a new, more sustainable, rolled glass line at the nearby Greengate Works.
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The move is said to be saving up to 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year and provide a major regeneration opportunity for St Helens.
NSG Group has been in discussion with St Helens Council to determine how the future of the site could support wider regeneration plans for the nearby town centre and while the firm won’t be directly involved with any future development of Watson Street Works, it intends to demonstrate how the site could make a positive contribution to the future regeneration of the town.
Following the initial event in July, the new public consultation event in September will showcase an updated vision for a new ‘industrious neighbourhood’ on the 30-acre site.
The masterplan concept, which has been developed by a team of consultants led by Broadway Malyan on behalf of St Helens Borough Council and Pilkington UK/NSG Group, envisions a new mixed-use district on the edge of the town centre that will include 700 new homes, and light industrial and business space, all integrated around generous green space and inspired by the site’s rich industrial heritage.
Ivor Phillips, director of architecture at Broadway Malyan, said: “There has been a huge amount of interest in how this really important site could be transformed for the long-term benefit of the town and this second consultation event is a further opportunity for the people of St Helens to have their say on the evolving proposals.
“The local community are very much partners in this process, and we are working to develop a vision that not only meets local needs but also responds to the aspirations of the people who will become the future residents and workers in this new district.”
Neil Syder, managing director of Pilkington UK, added: “The Watson Street site provides a great opportunity to support wider regeneration ambitions for St Helens, and while we won’t be directly involved in the site’s future development, we are keen to contribute to the growth of the local area, which has been a significant place for our business for almost 200 years.”
When and where will consultation take place?
The public drop-in for the second consultation event for the regeneration of the former Pilkington UK glass works at Watson Street will take place on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 at the LaGrange Arcade in the Church Square Shopping Centre in St Helens.
Other consultants working on the project include Nexus Planning, IMT Consulting, Curtins, RSK, TEP, Buro Happold and Aspinall Verdi.
More details can be found at www.watsonstreetworks.co.uk
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