North Lincolnshire Council plans to create its own development corporation to drive the progress of new business on unused Scunthorpe steelworks land.
The council’s cabinet approved on Monday, July 29, a report on the local authority’s goals on steel. The backdrop to it is an uncertain future for workers as British Steel continues plans to close and replace its Scunthorpe coke blast furnaces with an electric arc furnace (EAF). Unions fear thousands of job losses.
The council has committed to three aims on steel, the bedrock industry of Scunthorpe. These include maintaining UK quality steel production in Scunthorpe, and “realistic decarbonisation”. The other reiterates previously expressed desires to unlock derelict steel land.
“We have known for years there’s been a lot of land there that’s not been productively used as it could be,” said council leader Cllr Rob Waltham at cabinet, on the steelworks site. The council report sets out plans for a local development order for the whole site “to give confidence into the opportunity, speed up the proposed delivery of the site and set out clear ambitions for the site”.
The council would also create its own development corporation to enable the site’s development. Cllr Waltham highlighted this during cabinet, noting it was a “specific ask for the council to be the delivery agent”.
“Steel, as we’ve always said, is at the heart of what this town is about,” said Cllr Len Foster, Labour opposition group leader, in response. “I think that’s quite exciting moving away from steel to some extent,” said Labour Cllr Tony Gosling, on the potential bringing into use derelict brownfield land.
The council’s report highlights a number of appealing elements to use of derelict steelworks land. Direct rail access, the sheer size of the land, that land value will hopefully be affordable, and potential for undevelopable land to be used for biodiversity offsets for development elsewhere, are all mentioned.
Cllr Gosling, however, said during questions to cabinet that non-UK steel has been used for the Tree Tops complex care development and the proposed police station next door to council offices, in Scunthorpe High Street. He asked the council to revisit its steel strategy, given this, though stressed he did not blame the council for non-UK steel ending up being used.
“I’m happy to add we continue our commitment to buy UK steel in our procurement,” said Cllr Waltham, acknowledging the point raised. “We look forward to working with the government going forward in terms of they don’t do what every government seems to do on this agenda, which is to purely consider environmental factors as the driver for why changes need to happen.”
“I think there’s potential to expand steel production in the UK,” he said on green steel, but clearly investment from the company and beyond needed to happen.
