Phase two of a demolition project has started at Sheffield Forgemasters to make way for the UK’s largest open-die forging line.
Unused buildings on the Sheffield Forgemasters site, north of Brightside Lane, are being removed as the second phase of work gets underway to create space for a new 13,000-tonne Heavy Forge and its 12,700 sq m housing.
Victorian-era Forge and Foundry buildings will make way for the new facility, creating one of the most efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest in the UK.
The demolition will eventually expose the whole footprint of the new facility, which will dominate the skyline adjacent to the Meadowhall train line.
Much of the structure earmarked for demolition has been out of use for years, and a secure partitioning wall is in place to fully-isolate working areas of the plant from the building site.
Remediation works have included removing internal steel structures, stabilising the ground, pile-driving and removal of any contaminants.
Phase two of the demolition will remove all remaining above-ground structures at the excavation site before more than 25,000m3 of spoil is excavated for foundations to support the press, with 4,500m3 of existing concrete to be crushed.
The project is governed by exacting environmental standards, with all spoil from the site graded and recycled as far as is possible.
The multi-million GBP project is estimated to see completion of the foundations in Q1 2025.
The new facility will service defence and commercial work in sectors such as civil nuclear power.
The company, which provides crucial components for the UK defence programme, has embarked on a recapitalisation programme with up to £400 million to be invested over ten years and key changes already taking place across its 64-acre site.
The origins of Sheffield Forgemasters date back to the 1750s as a small blacksmith forge. Since then the company has been associated with many famous steel industry names such as English Steel, Firth Brown, British Steel and River Don Castings.
Sheffield Forgemasters is now capable of producing the largest and most technically challenging cast and forged steel components in the world.
Source: Sheffield Forgemasters
