Interserve, the services, maintenance and building group, has been awarded a £110 million contract to design and construct a new prison for the Ministry of Justice.

The facility, to be known as HMP/YOI Isis, will be situated within the current Belmarsh prison campus site in Woolwich.

Working in partnership with Ministry of Justice Custodial Property through its Strategic Alliance Agreement, Interserve has developed the scheme from initial options appraisals using its extensive experience in the custodial sector. The new, 480-place training prison for young adult males is to be constructed to Category B security standards on underused land within the existing HMP Belmarsh perimeter wall. Construction is expected to be complete by the middle of 2010. It comprises:

• Two three-storey houseblocks with all single-cell accommodation
• A two-storey entry building incorporating the visitor reception, gate lodge, staff entry and staff facilities, open and closed visits areas, video courts, stores and workshops
• A two/three-storey central building incorporating education, workshop, classroom and library facilities, prisoner reception and discharge, healthcare, multi-faith facilities, sports hall, gymnasium and staff training/cafeteria facility
• A care and separation unit
• A single-storey grounds maintenance facility
• External works comprising two small all-weather sports pitches, exercise yards, hard and soft landscaped areas, secure walkways, sterile yard, delivery yard, maintenance and fire tracks, and external building services plant compounds.

The scheme will be designed and constructed to achieve a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) "Excellent" rating, which is supported in part by a combined heat and power plant and biomass boilers housed in a single-storey energy centre. Other external works include a new vehicular access road, pedestrian and cycle access, visitors car park, vehicular security barriers, staff parking, bicycle parking, hard and soft landscaped and planted areas.

(CD/JM)