Steelwork starts on landmark new machine shop

Steelwork assembly starts on landmark defence-related facility in Sheffield

Steelwork assembly is now underway on Sheffield Forgemasters’ landmark new machine shop, a major development that will become one of the world’s most advanced large‑scale machining facilities. The work marks a visible new phase in the company’s multi‑year transformation programme.

McLaughlin & Harvey began the year by erecting the first steel frames for the Weedon Street site, which will span 30,000m² and reach a height of 32m. Once completed, the structure will be clearly visible from the M1 motorway at Meadowhall, underscoring the significant industrial regeneration taking place on Sheffield’s eastern side.

The steel framework is expected to be completed by June, with installation of gantry cranes scheduled by October. Roofing and cladding will follow later in the year as the building is prepared to house 24 new machines, including some of the world’s most advanced large‑scale vertical turning lathes.

Gareth Barker, chief operating officer at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “Following the award of our main works contract for the new machine shop to McLaughlin & Harvey, enabling works and piling progress mean that we can start 2026 with steel assembly.

“The Weedon Street location is the former site of Cammell Laird’s Brightside Steel Works, once part of the Vickers empire which Sheffield Forgemasters inherited in 1983, so it is great to know that we are reinstating world‑leading manufacturing facilities in the country’s steel heartland. This will really allow people to visualise the scale of the construction and to see industrial engineering reshaping the eastern side of Sheffield once again.”

The new machine shop forms a central part of Sheffield Forgemasters’ £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme. It will operate alongside the company’s new 13,000‑tonne forging line, currently under construction on the opposite side of Brightside Lane, to support critical UK defence manufacturing.
Together, the new forge and machining facilities will train a new generation of engineers and designers capable of working with Industry 4.0 technologies in nuclear‑grade engineering environments.

The project team includes Arup, responsible for ecological and travel assessments; Bond Bryan Architects; JLL, which supported site acquisition and planning submissions; and Turner & Townsend as delivery support partner.