More dangerous criminals will be taken off the streets thanks to
a 700-place expansion which will turn a Suffolk jail into the
UK's largest.
The three new, four-storey houseblocks at HMP Highpoint will
boost its capacity by more than 50 percent– and is the latest
step in Government action to create safer streets.
The houseblocks will include innovative workshops and teaching
facilities to train prisoners with skills to secure a job on
release and turn their backs on crime for good. The new cells
will be fully operational by summer 2027.
The construction is a significant milestone in the Government's
plan to deliver 14,000 more prison places by 2031 to lock up
dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.
Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending,
Timpson said:
“This Government is fixing the broken prison system it inherited
– wasting no time in getting shovels in the ground to deliver the
spaces needed to protect the public.
“These new houseblocks have been designed with a laser-focus on
cutting crime and are a major step in our plan to deliver 14,000
more prison places by 2031.
“But we cannot simply build our way out of this crisis, which is
why we're also reviewing sentencing so we can lock up dangerous
offenders, cut crime and make our streets safer.”
HMP Highpoint Prison Governor Nigel said:
“The expansion at Highpoint will provide much-needed prisoner
places in our region.
The new accommodation will provide a safe and secure environment
for us to rehabilitate prisoners and get them ready for
release.
“We are pleased that the construction work has officially begun
and we look forward to working with our contractors to get things
delivered.”
The build will be delivered by Wates Group, a leading
family-owned development, building and property maintenance
company. Once completed Highpoint will be the largest prison in
terms of land size in North-West Europe and the largest in the UK
based on prisoner population.
It will help provide an economic boost to East Anglia with
hundreds of jobs created during construction and over 200
permanent jobs at the prison once built. Construction alone will
bring investment into local businesses with 30% of
materials/subcontractors coming from within a 50-mile
radius.
Phil Shortman, Regional Managing Director at Wates
said:
“We are proud to be involved in the major programme of delivering
much-needed prison spaces.
“Through the construction of this project, around 2,000 building
components have been crafted in prison workshops, providing
meaningful employment opportunities, helping develop valuable
skills and supporting brighter futures.
“We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the
Government delivering additional prison capacity with a focus on
rehabilitation, sustainability and social value for the local
community.”
The development is part of the Government's 10-year prison
capacity strategy published in December. It includes 6,400 places
through new houseblocks and 6,500 places via new prisons. One
thousand rapid deployment cells will be rolled out across the
estate while more than 1,000 existing cells will be
refurbished.
A 1,500-capacity prison in Yorkshire, HMP Millsike, will be
opened in the coming weeks. The Government is investing £2.3
billion to deliver these prison builds, while a further £500
million will go towards vital building maintenance across prisons
and the probation service.
The strategy will work alongside the Independent Sentencing
Review to ensure the most serious offenders can always be sent to
prison to protect the public.
