Kier Group to build Northamptonshire prison for Ministry of Justice in £253m deal
Construction outsourcer Kier Group has been tasked with building a Northamptonshire prison which will house more than 1,500 inmates, in a £253m contract award.
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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the new facility in Wellingborough will be on the same site as a former prison there which closed in 2012.
Kier said it would start work on the prison this month, ahead of a 2021 completion date.
The facility will have seven blocks, accommodating 1,680 resettlement people, with “modern facilities to encourage rehabilitation among men”. It will feature windows with no bars and smaller wings holding just 20 men as part of an MoJ commitment to build “an environment conducive to rehabilitation”.
Prisons minister Rory Stewart said the project was part of a plan to build up to 10,000 “modern and decent” prison places to replace old accommodation. “The start of work at Wellingborough is an important step forward.”
“Providing offenders with decent conditions and regimes is absolutely key to turning their lives around and ultimately keeping the public safe.”
Kier is the main contractor on the project, while private construction firm Mace – which was in charge of the recently completed new Tottenham Hotspur football stadium in north London – will act as client representative.
Kier major projects director Mark Pengelly said the firm would treat it as an opportunity to invest in the local community, in a bid to “provide a lasting legacy for the people of Wellingborough”.
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The outsourcer has endured a rocky few months, after its share price dropped significantly last year amid rising debt. The ordeal ultimately led to former boss Haydn Mursell being ousted by a shareholder group spearheaded by veteran investor Neil Woodford, to be replaced by current chief exec Andrew Davies.
Shares rose around 0.5 per cent today.