Long term lease signed for medical glass manufacturing firm to create new plant

A 15-year lease has been signed for a St Helens industrial building that will be capable of meeting the UK’s annual requirement for medical glass products.

A 15-year lease has been signed for a St Helens industrial building that will be capable of meeting the UK’s annual requirement for medical glass products.

SINA Medical Glass aims to manufacture around 300 million medical glass vials and cartridges a year, with any excess exported to meet global demand.

The site, owned by St Helens Borough Council, is to the rear of the £54m Glass Futures development which opened a year ago, dedicated to decarbonising the energy-intensive glass industry.

There are two buildings on the site – a large brick-built warehouse, and a single storey office building – which will be retained and converted into new manufacturing facilities for SINA.

The site had been operated by J K Philips as a storage and distribution facility, but was approved for a change of use when the council granted planning permission to SINA last December.

The lease was gained with the support of law firm Wright Hassall which acted for the glass manufacturer.
Andrew Jones, a Partner in the Commercial Real Estate team at Wright Hassall, said: “We are extremely pleased to help SINA Medical Glass secure a lease for its new site.

“There were a number of complexities in relation to the site which we were able to navigate on behalf of the client.

“This included working closely with St Helens Borough Council which was purchasing the site as part of its investment into the glass industry in the area, and advising on change of use planning permission ahead of the lease being agreed.”

He added: “St Helens has a long history in glass manufacturing, so it is fantastic to support such an exciting business as it looks to boost investment in this area, create local employment opportunities and grow the economy in the North West.”