A nationwide prison building programme has accelerated, with around 5,000 new places now under construction across the North West, South East, South West and East of England.

The works form part of the largest expansion of the estate in more than a century and aim to safeguard capacity and public safety under the Government's Plan for Change.

The latest milestone saw a new 245-place houseblock at HMP Fosse Way in the East Midlands open to prisoners last week, contributing to the 2,900 places already delivered since July 2024 towards a target of 14,000 additional places by 2031.

Construction activity is set to deliver thousands of jobs both during build phases and once facilities become operational. The Government is investing £4.7 billion in prison projects over the current spending review period (2026/27 to 2029/30), providing a significant pipeline for contractors and the wider supply chain.

Work is progressing on new houseblocks at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, HMP Highpoint in Suffolk and HMP Wayland in Thetford, which together will add 1,400 places. Expansion is also under way at six further prisons through the Small Secure Houseblocks programme, delivering over 1,000 places in total. In Leicestershire, main works have commenced on the new HMP Welland Oaks, a circa-1,700 place facility due to open in 2029.

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Modern methods of construction are central to the programme. Rapid Deployment Cells – modular units designed to add capacity at pace – are being rolled out at HMPs Wayland, Haverigg, The Mount and Leyhill, with places expected to come online by summer 2026. Since January 2023, around 930 places have been delivered via these units across 18 sites.

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 Ministry of Justice notes the prison estate grew by fewer than 500 net places in the fourteen years to April 2024. The current uplift combines new-build prisons, expansion and refurbishment of existing sites, and offsite-manufactured rapid cells to increase capacity quickly.

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."

Alongside the build programme, the Government has accepted the majority of recommendations from Dame Anne Owers' independent review into prison capacity. This includes up to £700 million extra for probation services by 2028/29 to expand tagging and monitoring for tens of thousands more offenders, easing pressure on the estate.

Since July 2024, around 2,900 places have been delivered, including approximately 1,500 at the new prison HMP Millsike. More than 2,000 places are expected through the Accelerated Houseblocks Delivery Programme, complementing over 1,000 via Small Secure Houseblocks as the expansion progresses.