Planning permission has been secured for a life sciences scheme at the St Helens Manufacturing and Innovation Campus.

St Helens Borough Council has given the go-ahead to Project Halo – a landmark life sciences and advanced manufacturing development that will deliver 85,000 sq. ft of high spec workspace across four cutting edge ‘Tech Box’ units.

The units will offer adaptable layouts to accommodate bespoke office, laboratory, and light production requirements.

Construction is anticipated to start in Spring 2026.

Led by St Helens Borough Council and delivered by Network Space, the scheme is set across a five-acre brownfield site off Roby Way, adjacent to the Glass Futures Centre of Excellence and SINA Medical.

The site has already undergone extensive enabling works, including ground remediation, re-profiling, and construction of a new estate road and roundabout arm, ensuring excellent connectivity and “development-ready” status

Network Space was appointed by St Helens Borough Council as development manager for the site in 2023 following the council’s acquisition of the land, supported by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

he company had previously collaborated with the council to deliver the award-winning £54 million Glass Futures project which opened in the same year.

Joe Burnett, Development Director at Network Space, said: “We’re delighted to have secured planning for Project Halo to deliver high-quality, flexible workspace that addresses the productivity gap in the manufacturing and science sectors.

“Its proximity to Glass Futures and other innovation-led sectors will allow businesses to tap into an already-established system for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and sustainable growth.

St Helens Borough Council is delivering one of the most ambitious regeneration strategies in the North West, strengthening the town’s reputation for innovation whilst creating high quality employment and supply chain opportunities for the region.”

Support for the Halo Project has been provided by Architects AEW, GWB Consultants, Stantec, Kaizen Consulting Engineers and Spawforths.  St Helens Council was supported by IMT Consulting.