A pre-application community consultation launched this week on the £16.5 million research and development facility proposed to accommodate the leading industrial technology business’ hybrid workforce.
Working alongside its partners, JH Turkington & Sons Ltd, Sensata Technologies plans to build a bespoke research, testing and office space for its engineering and software development teams at the Global Point Business Park.
The planned two-year construction phase will support 150 jobs for suppliers and subcontractors and has been designed to meet BREEAM sustainability standards to minimise impact on the local area.
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Currently employing over 900 people in Northern Ireland, Sensata Technologies has adopted a new post- pandemic hybrid working pattern for its employees. Going forward teams will be working two days from home and three days in the office. The planned Newtownabbey facility will accommodate between 450–500 employees and will complement the company’s existing Antrim work site.
The company is keen to highlight that this building is more than just offices. Commenting on the launch of the pre-application consultation, Eric Sorret, Automotive Vice President at Sensata Technologies, said: “We develop sensors which are fitted in cars, planes, HGVs and buildings. There could be more than 50 of our sensors in one car alone. Due to the nature of this work, we are constantly researching, testing and improving our product lines so we need to build facilities which combine offices for our support staff and effective research and development spaces for our design, testing and process engineering teams.”
Mr. Sorret added: “We believe that the plans we are consulting on today are a good first step in our journey to develop a new workplace for many of our local employees. This project is part of our Back to Better post pandemic planning and aims to offer a safe and collaborative place for our employees to work. As a global company, we are also keen to be close to good transport links. Global Point offers the ideal location to welcome colleagues, customers, suppliers and visitors from around the world.”
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Gary Turkington at JH Turkington & Sons Ltd also commented: “We have been challenged to create a workspace that will accommodate Sensata Technologies requirements for practical, technical spaces alongside open plan offices and private spaces for meetings. We welcome any feedback from the community on the plans. The pre-consultation community consultation which has been launched today will remain open until 7 December at 5pm.”
The public can find out more information about this application and provide feedback at www.globalpoint.tsaplanning.co.uk
Source: Written from press release.
