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| The project will transform the existing Blackburn office campus into an advanced, integrated and sustainable space |
Blackburn Council has granted the planning application for Chubb Fire & Security Limited’s new Blackburn office, a high-performance workspace for hundreds of employees. The project will transform the existing Blackburn office campus into an advanced, integrated and sustainable space for Chubb and UK affiliates of Otis Limited and Carrier Controls Limited, and serve as a showcase for the capabilities of all three brands. Chubb is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
New home for research, development and engineering teams
The development, which will involve the demolition of three existing Chubb buildings on the Shadsworth Business Park and temporary relocation of employees whilst work is undertaken, will result in a modern and a high-performance building for up to 500 employees working in information technology, finance, supply chain and customer service. It will also be the new home for Chubb Systems and Chubb Community Care, including their research, development and engineering teams.
Local builders and contractors are being used for the project and it has the full backing of the Blackburn Council. Councillor Phil Riley of Blackburn, along with Darwen Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “This is a massive investment by a global business and will provide many quality jobs and a boost to the borough. Industry leaders such as Chubb have confidence in the borough and are showing this through long-term commitment and expansion.
“We have worked very closely with Chubb during this process and we are very pleased that work can now begin. The Council is fully committed to forming these relationships to build up prosperity, opportunity and long-term investment in Blackburn with Darwen.”
“This is the culmination of many years of hard work for the Chubb team and especially the last two years of planning,” said Craig Forbes, Finance Director, Chubb.
“We are delighted that Blackburn Council has given the go ahead. Thanks to the support of the council and the local community, the site can now be redeveloped to provide our employees with an environmentally responsible, smart and energy-efficient workplace. We’re working with Manchester-based architects and a Lancashire-based construction company and we look forward to the construction phase starting after Christmas.”
More sustainable building
Graeme Heanan, Regional Managing Director of Chubb Systems will lead the development of the building systems strategy for the site and has already assembled an innovation team with members from Chubb, Carrier and Otis who are working together to optimise the performance of the building.
“Our goal is to build a safer, smarter and more sustainable building that will be a great place for our employees to work, and an asset to the local community in terms of our efforts to blend in with the local environment,” said Heanan.
“We are completely committed to green building technology – we will harvest rainwater, roof lights will capture sunshine and we are currently assessing the feasibility of using solar panels. We’re also considering technologies to capture and re-use any waste energy. Our heating and air-conditioning will be demand-driven and managed by advanced building controls to minimise energy consumption and maintain a comfortable, smart and productive workplace.
The ground-breaking event is due to take place in early 2016.
