£253m Wellingborough prison build starts next month

Work will begin on the new Wellingborough Prison next month after the Government signed a £253m deal with national contractor Kier.
By Sarah Ward
Published 1st May 2019, 17:33 GMT
Updated 1st May 2019, 17:38 GMT
The prison will have seven cross shaped accommodation blocks.The prison will have seven cross shaped accommodation blocks.
The prison will have seven cross shaped accommodation blocks.

The 1,680 place category C prison will be built on the site of the former jail which closed in 2012.

The prison is scheduled to be built by autumn 2021. Images released today show the design and layout of the prison which will feature seven separate accommodation blocks and seven other ancillary buildings.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There will be four multi-use games areas and 500 on-site parking spaces. The prison will provide hundreds of new local jobs.

Most Popular
An aerial view of the 253m prison.An aerial view of the 253m prison.
An aerial view of the 253m prison.

A spokesperson for Wellingborough Council said: “It is excellent news for the borough of Wellingborough that £253m has been allocated by ministers to redevelop the former HM Prison Wellingborough. This exciting project will provide more than 850 jobs for local residents and deliver an anticipated £80m boost to our economy. We look forward to continuing to work with Kier and the Ministry of Justice throughout the construction of the new prison.”

The prison is part of the Government’s Prison Estate Transformation Programme, which is reforming the country’s prison estate to ensure conditions are suitable for rehabilitation of offenders and to reduce crowding.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said: “I am committed to the building of up to 10,000 modern and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation, and the start of work at Wellingborough is an important step forward.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Providing offenders with decent conditions and regimes is absolutely key to turning their lives around and ultimately keeping the public safe.”

Executive director of Kier Major Projects Mark Pengelly said: “We’re very proud to have been appointed to deliver the new resettlement prison at Wellingborough and look forward to working closely with the Ministry of Justice and using our experience in new-build prison programmes to deliver first-class rehabilitation facilities.

“We are dedicated to investing in the communities in which we work and our commitment to apprenticeships and job opportunities will not only help address the skills shortage that our industry faces but also provide a lasting legacy for the people of Wellingborough.”

A construction skills centre to provide skills for those who are unemployed, ex-military and ex-offenders will also be built. The project will be managed by Northamptonshire County Council after the Department of Education awarded £1m of funding.

A new prison will also be built at Glen Parva in Leicester and a new house block will be built at HMP Stocken in Rutland.

Related topics:WellingboroughKierWorkGovernment