Wates has confirmed that work commenced to build a new prison next to the existing HMP Gartree site in Leicestershire.

The project will deliver much-needed prison places for the Ministry of Justice, with a focus on enabling rehabilitation of prisoners and delivering social value to the local community.

The prison population in England and Wales is now greater than it ever has been, and the Government is undertaking a prison building programme to increase capacity. The new prison at Gartree will form part of that programme, providing over 1,700 new category B prison places.

The new prison will include two large educational workshops and an educational facility incorporating 26 classrooms to help prisoners develop skills to aid their rehabilitation after release. Throughout the project, 50 prison leavers will be trained and reskilled, to prepare them to reintegrate into the workforce.

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To stimulate the local economy and promote regional growth, Wates expect that 40% of the project spend will be within a 50-mile radius of the site. Additionally, the development will create 100 new jobs during construction providing employment opportunities locally.

Offsite manufacturing will be used to create the main structures for the accommodation, service modules and plant rooms, to improve efficiencies in the construction process and minimise carbon emissions.

Phil Shortman, Regional Managing Director - MoJ, Wates said: "We are pleased to have the green light to deliver this important project, which will make a real difference both to the local economy and to providing the prison places the country needs.

"Through the construction of this project, we are committed to providing valuable employment opportunities to those leaving prison, and once operational this prison will be equipped with excellent educational and training facilities to help prison residents develop the skills they need, to build their careers after release.

"Wates has established a strong track record of delivering projects at scale and we look forward to continuing to work alongside the Ministry of Justice to provide additional prison places."