Blackburn Council has granted the planning application for Chubb Fire & Security Limited’s new office in the Lancashire town.
The firm says its Blackburn office campus will turn into an integrated and sustainable space for Chubb and UK affiliates of Otis Limited and Carrier Controls Limited, and serve as a showcase for all three brands.
The development, will involve demolition of three Chubb buildings on the Shadsworth Business Park and temporary relocation of employees, to return to a 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.
Local builders and contractors are being used. Councillor Phil Riley, the 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.”
Craig Forbes, finance director at Chubb, called it the culmination of many years of hard work. “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.”
Graeme Heanan, regional managing director of Chubb Systems will lead the site development. He has already assembled a team with members from Chubb, Carrier and Otis.
“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 is due in early 2016. Pictured left to right last year: Graeme Heanan, MD, systems, Chubb; Blackburn borough councillor Kate Hollern, Craig Forbes, Chubb finance director; Alastair Reynolds, regional managing director; and councillor Maureen Bateson.
