{"id":520618,"date":"2025-05-16T12:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T11:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=520618"},"modified":"2025-05-16T13:14:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T12:14:59","slug":"three-prison-builds-green-lit-to-tackle-capacity-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/contractors\/isg\/three-prison-builds-green-lit-to-tackle-capacity-crisis-16-05-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Three prison builds green lit to tackle capacity crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plans to build three new prisons as part of a \u00a34.7bn spend will now go ahead after the Treasury signed off on funding, a senior minister has said.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Treasury would fund \u201cin full\u201d plans to build the prisons, in a bid to create 14,000 extra places by 2031 to tackle a severe shortage.<\/span><\/p>\n

More cells will also be added at existing prisons.<\/span><\/p>\n

It will represent a total capital investment of \u00a34.7bn, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the Spending Review is ongoing, I can announce that the Treasury will fund our prison expansion plans, in full, across the Spending Review period,\u201d she said at a Downing Street press conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

The news was announced as Mahmood warned of a \u201ctotal breakdown of law and order\u201d if the government failed to tackle the prisons crisis, as she said 99 per cent of men\u2019s jails were full.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plans for the new prisons have already been progressing, with<\/span> Wates<\/span><\/a> starting early works last November on a site near HMP Gartree in Leicestershire.<\/span><\/p>\n

The justice secretary confirmed that ground will be broken at the site \u201clater this year\u201d. Around 1,700 new category B places will be available at the prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Wates spokesperson told <\/span>Construction News:<\/span><\/i> \u201cPrison overcrowding in the UK is a major issue and we are pleased to be supporting the government to deliver on much-needed expansion plans, including building a new facility next to the existing HMP Gartree site, which will provide more than 1,700 new prison places.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The two other new prisons are also located near existing jails. <\/span>One will be close to HMP Grendon and Springhill in the village of Grendon Underwood, Buckinghamshire.<\/span><\/p>\n

In January last year, the then housing and communities secretary, Michael Gove, approved plans for the \u00a3300m prison, which will hold around 1,500 inmates.<\/span><\/p>\n

ISG<\/span><\/a> was originally confirmed as the contractor on the job early last year prior to the company\u2019s high-profile collapse in September. Laing O\u2019Rourke has since taken over the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laing O\u2019Rourke is part of the New Prisons Alliance, which also includes Kier and Wates, and is tasked with delivering standardised builds across the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third prison will be on greenbelt land close to HMP Garth near Leyland, Lancashire, and will hold 1,700 inmates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last December, housing secretary Angela Rayner overruled the Planning Inspectorate and local council to give the go-ahead to the 800,000sq ft scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government also published a 10-year prison capacity strategy at around the same time, which includes plans for 6,400 places through new houseblocks and 6,500 places via new prisons.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plans to build three new prisons as part of a \u00a34.7bn spend will now go ahead after the Treasury signed off on funding, a senior minister has said. On Wednesday, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Treasury would fund \u201cin full\u201d plans to build the prisons, in a bid to create 14,000 extra places by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29901,"featured_media":275977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[547,558,565,535,536,537,545],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-520618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buildings","category-contracts","category-government","category-isg","category-kier","category-laing-orourke","category-wates"],"yoast_head":"\nThree prison builds green lit to tackle capacity crisis | Construction News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Plans to build three new prisons as part of a \u00a34.7bn spend will now go ahead after the Treasury signed off on funding, a senior minister has said. 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