We have broken ground at the Glass Futures project in St Helens – a development that will play a key role in decarbonising glass production and lead the way in the green industrial revolution.
The £54 million transformational, global glass research and innovation facility is being built at Saints Retail Park, a site with links to the historic glass industry. St Helens has been at the forefront of glass making for 200 years with Pilkingtons transforming the town and its workforce.
Delivery of the project was conceived and is being managed by landowner and developer Network Space Developments, 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.
The 160,000 sq. ft Centre of Excellence will be the world’s first openly accessible, multi-disciplinary experimental glass melting facility for research and development trials. The facility will be used to deliver industry and government backed R&D projects aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of glass production and will provide a platform for industry to test and trial their own ideas, both collaboratively and individually.
The facility is being funded through a mix of public and private investment. A £15m UKRI grant has been secured for the installation of a globally unique, experimental furnace and state of the art infrastructure capable of producing 30 tonnes of glass per day and will enable the glass industry to implement change in a safe experimental space.
Catherine Chilvers, Development Director at Network Space, said: “The ground-breaking event was a notable milestone for the project and follows two years of dedicated partnership working between ourselves, Glass Futures, St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and UKRI. It is fantastic for all partners to see the works commencing on site as we transform a redundant former glass works site into a global R&D asset. The project will proudly secure St Helens at the forefront of glass innovation and sustainable glass production.’’
Glass Futures’ Chief Executive, Richard Katz, said: “Glass Futures has reached a real milestone in the delivery of its Global Centre of Excellence for glass in R&D, innovation and training. Due for completion next year, we will be targeting the elimination of carbon from mass production in the glass industry, as well as other Foundation Industries.
“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.”
In addition to creating 80 new permanent jobs, the project will lead to much-needed apprenticeships, training and general up-skilling within the glass sector and attract further inward investment to the Region as leading international glass companies focus resources to be within geographical reach of the facility.