Sheffield steel forge £70m expansion approved

Written by Aaron Morby - Construction Enquirer.

Sheffield Forgemasters has secured planning permission for the construction of a building to house the UK’s largest open-die forging press.

The major building forms part of an expansion programme that will see up to £400m invested in the site over ten years.

Vinci Building has bagged the early works contract and pre-construction services agreement for the 12,700 sq m structure that will sit adjacent to the existing forge building on Brightside Lane.

This will house a new 13,000 tonne press, and include offices and a water pumping station. It will replace the company’s existing 10,000 tonne press, which was installed in the 1950s and upgraded in the 1980s.

Gareth Barker, chief operating officer, said: “Securing planning permission for our new heavy forge line is a true landmark in the company’s history and will see work accelerate across the site as we move into 2023.

“In the early part of 2022, we undertook a major logistical exercise to ship the new press from Japan and place it in safe storage in the UK.

“The new facility will significantly improve our throughput of large, complex forgings and will enable us to push the envelope in terms of forging techniques and processes, as well as improving accuracy and reducing downtime.”

A target date of 2025 has been set for the completion of works.

Two enabling developments have previously been approved covering temporary construction site access as well as the partial demolition of the existing forge building and erection of new heat shield walls.

Sheffield Forgemasters’ project team for the new forging line includes JLL, AEW Architects and Tetra Tech.