Sheffield Forgemasters secures permission for new facility on brownfield land in Meadowhall district

A spokesman said the new facility will form one of the world’s most advanced large machining facilities, to support the Ministry of Defence-owned company’s manufacturing process for UK defence programmes.

The statement said: “With work to prepare the site already underway, the building will cover a space equal to 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools and will contain some of the largest and most advanced five-axis Vertical Turning Lathes ever produced.”

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

He said the investment will create highly-skilled engineering jobs for decades to come.

He added: “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 defence programme, but it will also deliver technologically advanced and rewarding working facilities for our employees.”

The machining facility is set to be operational by the end of 2028.

Machine tools specialist, WaldrichSiegen, is building a series of large Vertical Turning Lathes and associated machines for the machining hall, which will be installed and maintained by McDowell Machine Tools.

The machine shop project team consists of Arup, which handled the ecological and travel assessments, Bond Bryan Architects, and JLL, which acted on behalf of Sheffield Forgemasters for the site acquisition and planning submissions.

Joanna Gabrilatsou, Regional Head of Planning at JLL, said: "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.

"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."