Sheerness Steel

[fergusjbend]

It is reported that the Sheerness Steel works, which has been idle for several years, is about to be resurrected. At the same time the rail sidings have been removed, perhaps to allow for storage of imported cars. It seems a great pity that yet another rail connection to a significant industrial site seems to have been lost.

 

[Paul180]

I remember reading about this about two years ago at the time the plan was at the time just to reopen the mill only and not the furnace they would be bringing the steel in from somewhere else, has this plane change? If the plane is to just reopen the mill there probably is not much need for an rail connection at the moment as the raw steel would probably coming by sea and as the finished products are destined for the building industry it would be cheaper to ship it by road that is if they are still be going to be manufacturing rebar and steel coil?

 

[MarkyT]

I remember reading about this about two years ago at the time the plan was at the time just to reopen the mill only and not the furnace they would be bringing the steel in from somewhere else, has this plane change? If the plane is to just reopen the mill there probably is not much need for an rail connection at the moment as the raw steel would probably coming by sea and as the finished products are destined for the building industry it would be cheaper to ship it by road that is if they are still be going to be manufacturing rebar and steel coil?

Although the junction station at Sittingbourne has only been resignalled recently, with control transferred to East Kent Signalling Centre (EK), the Sheerness branch itself was fully re-equipped between 2001 and 2005 using new to the UK GE VHLC (Vital Harmon Logic Controller) technology. This was originally controlled using a new panel in the old Sittingbourne signal box, but the branch was transferred, along with the brand new Sittingbourne signalling, to EK earlier this year (2016). the 2005 resignalling provided signalled connections to the steel plant, as well as some other sidings at Queenborough and near Kemsley. All these facilities were active at the time. If the private sidings inside the steel premises itself were lifted later, it should be possible to reinstate equivalent facilities again fairly easily and quickly if required as long as the signalled connections onto the branch have not been removed. According to the current sectional appendix (pages reissued this year for the EK control transfer) all the sidings on the branch are still shown in use in the sectional appendix.

 

[moggie]

The Sheerness branch VHLC signalling was simply re-controlled from EKSC under the most recent signalling works albeit with a few minor enhancements. All of the siding referred to are long since OOU but it is true the signalling remains in situ and could with minimal work be brought into use again from EKSC.

Liberty House are the new operators for the Steel works who have already brought into former Tata and Caparo plants around the country. I guess it remains to be seen if there's sufficient business to warrant rail use once again.

What is also interesting is the announcement that the landlord Peel Ports are extending their VAG import car operation onto land currently part of Sheerness steelworks. Peel Ports have long talked about setting up a rail head using the rail facilities at Sheerness to distribute cars to other railheads around the UK but were frustrated in their plans because of the limbo the steel operation / former operators were in. Maybe this is the long sought break in the logjam?

 

[nom de guerre]

Ridham Dock is being mentioned as a possible loading point for new car trains.

 

[MarkyT]

The sidings at the north end of Queenborough look like they may have been used for car loading. The 1990 Google Earth aerial view attached shows some vehicles in the small compound on the south side of Whiteway Road. The extent of land reclamation since 1990 for expansion of the car storage yard is also evident.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Used to get substantial car flows from Queenborough in the late 1980's - to the extent I used to underwrite some staff there for loading and checking. Flows were to Bathgate so a good earner.

 

[furnessvale]

What is also interesting is the announcement that the landlord Peel Ports are extending their VAG import car operation onto land currently part of Sheerness steelworks. Peel Ports have long talked about setting up a rail head using the rail facilities at Sheerness to distribute cars to other railheads around the UK but were frustrated in their plans because of the limbo the steel operation / former operators were in. Maybe this is the long sought break in the logjam?

The master plan posted by Peel Ports appears to incorporate a railhead.

How much this is posturing to obtain planning permission(as at some other locations) is open to debate, but a company with rail connections elsewhere could be more serious about it.

 

[BRX]

I was also interested in what's going on here and have been having a look at the planning application for the redevelopment of the site, which was approved in October 2016. A map of the proposals is attached below - it indicates "reconfigured rail lines" at the north and south edges of the site.

In the planning commitee report the development is described as:

Change of use from B2 Industrial use in the form of redundant steelworks to port related uses (sui generis) including demolition of buildings (except for the former military hospital, former fitness centre, former billet packing building, former stores and stores maintenance building and part of main former Thamesteel building), construction of new paved surfaces and a new vehicle access and bridge spanning the A249 to the existing Port to the west, reconfiguration of railhead, boundary treatment and landscaping and associated works (amended description).

The modified railhead(s) are mentioning at a few other points in the report:

2.5 Existing rail sidings would be modified and extended to provide a railhead to facilitate onward transportation of vehicles and other imports by rail to UK destinations rather than by road as currently happens.

8.14 The impact on the highway network will be significantly relieved as a result of the railhead development and emphasis on rail freight transportation. National Rail has not objected to the proposals subject to compliance with their requirement. The proposed new road bridge, linking the site to dock storage land within the control of the applicant falls under the jurisdiction of Highways England who have not raised objection subject to legal agreement under the Highways Act. Kent County Council Highways and Transportation has not raised objection subject to imposition of condition requiring the road overbridge to be completed and commissioned prior to first use of the site.

It mentions a specific Swale Local Plan policy: "T6 Maximising the Use of the Railways and Waterways for Commercial Purposes"

The application included a transport statement; some excerpts from that:

4.7 The main steelworks buildings to the front of the site will be retained to serve as multi-user covered storage space with rail connectivity targeting the forest product and steel commodity sectors. A multi-user open storage area will be provided to the east of the covered storage buildings.

4.9 The existing rail head will be reconfigured for automotive distribution on the east side of the site, and a new link bridge over the A249 Brielle Way will be constructed on the west side of the site so as to connect the application site with the adjacent port area. The new bridge will significantly reduce the impacts of the development on the adjoining highway by effectively by-passing car and HGV vehicle trips between the port and the application site.

As per comments above, it will remain to be seen whether the inclusion of the railheads in the planning application is just to do with complying with planning policies or whether it reflects a serious intention to actually use them. Looking through the planning decision, I couldn't see any special conditions that place a requirement for them to be kept fully functional or anything like that.

The announcement that Liberty Steel are to reinstate part of the steelworks seems to be around the same time the planning permission was approved and I'm not quite clear how that meshes in with the plans contained in the planning application - whether it changes anything and whether that part of the steelwork will be adjacent to or served by the reinstated rail lines.

There's also a 20-year masterplan for the whole port area (I'm not clear if this has been finalised yet or not?) and this mentions an intention to make more use of the railheads, as quoted in the transport statement:

Modal Shift of Commodities
6.15 At present, the majority of commodities are brought in and out of the Port by
road. When considering the Port demand forecasts and land strategy highlighted in
Chapters 4 and 5, modal shift has been considered in terms of the transport of
commodities.
6.16 As the Port currently operates by water and road, the main method of
improving multi modality and encouraging sustainable transport solutions is
introducing rail to the Port. The location of this has been described within Chapter
5. The introduction of rail access to the Port would allow for two-way automotive
flows by rail, as well as transporting scrap metal, aggregates and forest products via
rail.

Finally: there are a few news articles mentioning an intention (part of the 20 year masterplan?) to provide a "rail link" between Sheerness and Liverpool (also owned by Peel Ports). Not sure what that's about; perhaps others know more.