The Glass Works

The Glass Works is a £200m town centre development project to create a modern, vibrant town centre with a diverse retail and leisure experience whilst preserving the town’s traditions and heritage, including the historic Barnsley Markets which are one of the oldest in Britain, dating from 1249.

Set over two phases, phase 1 included the transformation of Barnsley Markets, part of the heart of the town centre for centuries, along with the construction of a new Library @ The Lightbox building, new Market Kitchen and Food Hall.

Phase 2 consisted of 100,000 sq. ft. of retail and leisure spaces, over 25,000 sq. ft. of cafes and restaurants framing a new landscaped public square, alongside the 13-screen Cineworld, Superbowl UK and multi-storey car park.

The project was delivered in two phases through two different contracts. Phase 1 was delivered through a Term Partnering Contract whilst Phase 2 was delivered through a JCT Design and Build Contract.

All works were completed with zero defects, and the scheme was handed over on time and within the customer’s budget, despite the pandemic.

The project shows the positive impact of a collaborative approach when working on a complex project with multiple stakeholders. Our team worked alongside the client team from pre-construction and shared an office throughout the project, encouraging mutual trust, openness, transparency and communication.

We delivered significant social value outputs on the project with over £400k invested in local communities, 280 university visits undertaken and 382 work experience places provided. This led to the scheme winning 11 awards.

The project received an outstanding response from end users and has increased footfall in the town centre, bucking the national trend. The legacy of our work and huge investment in the community will be felt for many years and has directly benefitted people of all ages and backgrounds, enhancing the quality of life of thousands of local people.

David Barker, Butcher, Barnsley Markets said: "When I look at Barnsley now I really can see a bright future, because at last, the town centre is setting itself alive with new shops, a new beginning and a new vibrancy which is what it needs to bring the younger people and the new generation of shoppers into town.”