Ideal Heating submits plans for £10m research and development facility at UK headquarters in Hull

A spokesman said: “The investment in industry-leading R&D facilities will enable that number to rise to 100 and underpin long-term employment at the site where 800 staff are based.”

A detailed planning application for the UK Technology Centre has been

submitted to Hull City Council, with designs produced by Hull-based architects and civil and structural engineers GGP Consult. Dependent on planning approval, construction is expected to begin this autumn, with the facility due to open in mid-2024. The proposed facility forms part of a wider £60m investment programme by Ideal Heating, supported by its owner Groupe Atlantic, across the National Avenue site to increase manufacturing and distribution capacity and accommodate heat pump production and warehousing.

The spokesman added: “The centre will help to develop the solutions needed to decarbonise UK homes and supports the Government’s targets for head pump deployment, including for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed in domestic properties annually by 2028.”

Phil Kent, R&D Director for Combustion at Ideal Heating, said: “Domestic and commercial heating providers have a vital role to play in reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change. As the market leader, we’re serious about playing our full part in meeting the challenge the UK faces in accelerating the adoption of heat pumps and other low carbon solutions. There is no single solution to the challenge and it’s clear that a mix of products and technologies will be needed.

“Our new UK Technology Centre will be a state-of-the-art, UK-leading facility which will enable us to develop and deliver future heating solutions and make big strides forward in our net zero journey.”

The UK Technology Centre would provide a new home for Ideal Heating’s R&D team, which includes engineers working on design, development, electronics, simulation and product testing disciplines.

Laboratory facilities within the 38,000 sq ft (3,500 sq m), two-storey building would enable Ideal Heating’s R&D team to simulate a range of scenarios and conditions to test new innovations and advancements.

Helen Villamuera, Ideal Heating’s Engineering Director, said: “Since being acquired by Groupe Atlantic in 2015, Ideal Heating has remained a UK-leading manufacturer based in Hull and with other sites across the country.

She added: “The huge investment being delivered across our main site at National Avenue, including in the new UK Technology Centre, underpins our position as a leader in the domestic and commercial heating markets.”