St Helens progresses 85,000 sq ft next phase of innovation zone
Plans for a lab and manufacturing development on a five-acre site next to Glass Futures are being worked up.
In partnership with Network Space and IMT Consulting, plans for the 85,000 sq ft Project Halo, require an injection of £1.2m of council funding to progress to planning application stage.
St Helens Council’s cabinet will meet next week to sign off the funding and agree on the delivery model. The council will sign a headlease for the scheme and secure private sector investment for its delivery prior to construction.
This model is similar to how Glass Futures – the 165,000 sq ft glass research and manufacturing complex – was delivered.
Project Halo will help to “address the boroughs productivity gap” and falls within the Liverpool City Region Investment Zone. This means the council will be able to retain future business rates generated there.
A St Helens cabinet report alludes to the possible future use of the scheme in light of its location to other occupiers within the investment zone.
“The adjacency to Glass Futures and Sina Medical Glass positions it well for specialist advance manufacturing and its Hynet connectivity provides a unique opportunity for the future use of alternative energy sources,” the report states.
It goes on to say that there are “several local companies with significant growth potential that will require new specialist premises in the short to medium term”.
