The replacement for Barlinnie, HMP Glasgow, now totals £998.4m due to inflation, Brexit and Covid impact. The project promises economic benefits.
This includes land, VAT, and a construction contract cost. The contract alone costs £683.8m. The government said costs are similar to other prisons. They used “independent benchmarking” to check this.
The spend is in line with prison builds in England and Wales. HMP Glasgow will be in Provanmill, near Royston Road. It will hold 1344 people upon completion. The prison should be finished in 2028. It adds 357 spaces to Scottish prisons.
Kier Construction will bring benefits to the community. They’ll offer jobs to locals and training for ex-offenders. They plan support for local businesses too. Over 1000 people will work on-site at peak times. Thousands will work on the project overall. The project includes fifty new apprenticeships for workers.
The Justice Secretary stated HMP Glasgow has a “bold vision.” This will help reduce crime and boost the economy. The modern prison will replace an old one. The old prison is no longer suitable.
The new one will increase capacity. It will improve prisoner rehabilitation programs. Also planned are better staff working conditions. The project prioritizes good value and offers economic benefits.
The benefits are over £450m, including jobs. Local businesses in Scotland win contracts here too. Finding the right location and planning took time. Like other projects, inflation impacted the cost.
Brexit and Covid affected major projects quite heavily. Independent reviews checked the project’s expenses. These reviews found costs similar to other UK prisons. The Scottish Prison Service CEO spoke about the prison.
She said HMP Glasgow will transform rehabilitation. This is an investment in staff and those in their care. It is an investment in Glasgow and Scotland to build safer communities together.
