Kier wins £250m worth of prison extension work

The work involves extensions at HMP Northumberland and HMP Lancaster Farms, delivering an additional 480 prison places under the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) Small Secure Houseblocks Programme (SSHP) Alliance.

Each prison will receive four new houseblocks, upgraded ancillary facilities and site-wide infrastructure improvements, with completion targeted for early 2027.

The latest awards bring Kier’s total number of prison houseblocks delivered in recent years to 30, including projects for both the MoJ and the Scottish Prison Service. It is currently expanding HMPs Elmley, Bullingdon and Channings Wood as part of the government’s plan to build 14,000 new prison places by 2031.

Kier’s Making Ground initiative, aimed at improving employment prospects for prisoners and leavers, continues alongside its construction work. At HMP Channings Wood, 29 prisoners recently completed the company’s ‘Hard Hat Ready’ training programme, with 75 prison leavers employed through the scheme over the past three years. Another 64 have been released on temporary licence (ROTL) placements offered within Kier and its supply chain across the UK.

Fiona Parker, deputy director of the SSHP at His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, said the expansions represent “a critical step forward in delivering secure, modern, and rehabilitative prison facilities” and will help ensure prisoners “have the opportunity to develop skills.”

Rebecca Boundy, managing director (justice) at Kier Construction, said. “We’re proud to be a trusted delivery partner for the government, supporting transformative expansion across the UK prison estate. We are working in alliance with our partners to focus on repeatability and continuous improvement to drive better performance in delivery and lifecycle costs.”