The UK Government has approved the construction of a new Category C super prison in Buckinghamshire, with a budget of £300 million.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has granted planning permission for the prison, which is set to accommodate nearly 1,500 inmates. The facility will be located adjacent to the existing HMP Springhill and HMP Grendon sites.

This initiative is part of the Government’s ambitious new prisons programme, which has secured over £4 billion in capital funding. The goal is to accommodate an additional 18,000 inmates across the prison estate by the mid-2020s.

The project, gaining momentum after last year’s approval of Wates’s £300m HMP Gartree 2 Category B super prison in Leicestershire, is now advancing. ISG is reportedly in contention to construct the Grendon Springhill 2 Category C resettlement prison. The plan involves building six house blocks, including essential facilities like kitchen workshops and a central services hub.

Each of the four-storey house blocks is designed to house 240 prisoners. However, before construction commences, the existing education block associated with HMP Springhill prison needs demolition, and a new sports pitch will be installed to serve the existing prison.

The construction phase is expected to create around 100 jobs and inject over £77 million into the local economy.

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