Demolition has started at
Sheffield Forgemasters to clear the space for the construction of what will be the UK’s largest open-die forging line. Parts of the site north of Brightside Lane are undergoing controlled demolition to create space for a 13,000-tonne heavy forge, which will house a new 12,700m
2 structure adjacent to the Sheffield to Meadowhall train line.
Sections of disused forge and foundry buildings that date from the Victorian era, are being demolished to make way for the new facility, creating one of the most efficient open-die forging operations in Europe and the largest within the UK.
Steve Marshall, manufacturing transformation director, said: “It has taken two years of planning and enabling works to bring us to this milestone, where we start to expose the footprint for our new forging line. Much of the structure earmarked for demolition has been out of use for some time. We have created a secure partitioning wall which fully isolates working parts of the site from the controlled, piecemeal demolition process.”
Remediation works for the site, have included dismantling internal steel structures, stabilisation of the ground, pile-driving to create a base for the segregation wall and meticulous identification and removal of any contaminants.
Mr Marshall added: “We have employed large numbers of specialist contractors to reach the point at which the proposed site is environmentally sound and meets all health and safety requirements for demolition, including creation of a new access road onto Brightside Lane. From now on, the work becomes more measurable, as we begin to open up the space that the new forge will eventually fill.”
The recapitalisation team at Sheffield Forgemasters, responsible for the forge project, estimates that more than 25,000m
3 of spoil will need to be excavated for foundations to support the vast press, with 4,500m
3 of existing concrete to be crushed.
He added: “The whole project is working to the best environmental standards, so all spoil from the site will be graded and recycled as far as is possible.”
It is estimated that the multi-million-pound project will see completion of the foundations by 2025. The new facility will service defence and commercial work in sectors such as civil nuclear power.