UK prison building programme continues expansion

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Once complete, they will add to the 2,900 places already delivered since July 2024, marking significant progress towards the target of 14,000 additional places by 2031 to lock up dangerous offenders. The latest project, a 245-place houseblock at HMP Fosse Way in the East Midlands, opened to prisoners last week. 

The various builds are also powering local economies, with thousands of jobs created nationwide during construction and once the sites are operational. 
Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending, Lord James Timpson said:   

"This Government inherited a prison system in crisis – and we’re doing everything we can to fix it. 

"We’ve already delivered 2,900 new places in the last 18 months, with thousands more on the way. As part of our Plan for Change we’re making sure dangerous offenders are behind bars and our streets are safer – no excuses, just action."

The prison estate increased by less than 500 net places in the fourteen years to April 2024. 

The thousands now under construction are being delivered through new prison builds, the expansion and refurbishment of existing sites, and innovative solutions such as Rapid Deployment Cells which are modular units designed to quickly add capacity. 

Minister for Sentencing and Youth Justice, Jake Richards, said: "We’ve wasted no time in building the prison places needed to protect the public, creating thousands of jobs along the way. 

"But building alone will not end the crisis. That is why we’re also reforming sentencing to ensure punishment cuts crime and that there is always a cell for dangerous criminals."

Construction is already underway on new houseblocks at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, HMP Highpoint in Suffolk and HMP Wayland in Thetford, adding 1400 places across the sites. Meanwhile, expansion work has also begun at six further prisons delivering new Small Secure Houseblocks, which combined will deliver over 1,000 places. 

In Leicestershire, main works have commenced on the brand-new HMP Welland Oaks prison that will provide approximately 1,700 places when it opens in 2029. 

Rapid Deployment Cells are being rolled out at sites including HMPs Wayland, Haverigg, The Mount and Leyhill, with places expected to come online by summer 2026. 

The Government also published its response to Dame Anne Owers’ independent review into prison capacity yesterday, accepting the majority of the report’s recommendations aimed at ensuring the country is never faced with running out of cells again. This includes increasing investment in probation services, with up to £700 million extra already pledged by 2028/29 – allowing tens of thousands more offenders to be tagged and monitored and reducing pressure on the prison estate.