'Unparalleled' Sheffield machining facility greenlit

The “largest machining hall of its kind in the UK” is underway in Sheffield after receiving planning approval.

Castings and forgings specialist Sheffield Forgemasters has secured permission to build a 30,000m² machining facility on brownfield land in Meadowhall.

Spanning a 16-acre site on Weedon Street, the equivalent of 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools, the facility will support the Ministry of Defence-owned company’s role in UK defence manufacturing, with bosses saying that the “sheer scale of the building will make it an iconic landmark” and hailing the project as “an amazing investment for the city and for the wider UK”.

The site will house some of the world’s most advanced five-axis Vertical Turning Lathes (VTLs) to manufacture large, highly complex, nuclear-grade components, alongside a proposed 3,500m² test-house and training area to develop future engineering talent.

Work is already underway, with the facility expected to be operational by 2028.

Craig Fisher, programmes director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “This planning agreement will see construction of the largest machining hall of its kind in the UK, and regeneration of a prominent brownfield site in the city’s industrial centre.

“It signals an amazing investment for the city and for the wider UK, which will create highly skilled engineering jobs for decades to come, fully supporting our national defence programmes.

“The sheer scale of the building will make it an iconic landmark and will eclipse the construction of the UK’s largest open-die forging-line, which is also underway on our adjacent Brightside Lane site.

“What we are creating in the centre of Britain’s historical industrial heartland is unparalleled in the UK and will not only de-risk supply for the UK’s AUKUS defence programme, but it will also deliver technologically advanced and rewarding working facilities for our employees.”

Machine tools specialist WaldrichSiegen is building the VTLs and associated machines for the machining hall, which will be installed and maintained by McDowell Machine Tools.

The project team consists of Arup, which handled the ecological and travel assessments, while Bond Bryan Architects led the project design.

Meanwhile, JLL represented Sheffield Forgemasters in the site acquisition and planning submissions.

Joanna Gabrilatsou, regional head of planning at JLL, added: "JLL has been working closely with Sheffield Forgemasters and Sheffield City Council to ensure the delivery of Sheffield Forgemasters’ time-critical growth programme is met, and are delighted with the decision. 

“Approval of the new machine shop is essential to allow Sheffield Forgemasters to operate in a modern, fit-for-purpose facility, and is highly beneficial to the city and the region’s economy. 

“It will also allow the regeneration of the vacant Weedon Street plots. 

“We are already working on the first phase of enabling works as part of an existing consent, and we’re now gearing up to discharge conditions to implement the next phase of construction."

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