Kier picked for £1bn Glasgow prison 

Kier has been appointed to build a £1bn prison in Glasgow. 

The UK’s third-largest contractor will complete the 1,344 capacity prison complex in 2028, at a former gas works site in Provanmill, north east Glasgow. The facility will replace the nearby HMP Barlinnie, which was built in 1880 and is Scotland’s largest prison. 

The contractor has been carrying out early works on the HMP Glasgow site since October, but it has now signed a £683.8m stage two contract for the prison’s construction.

Construction News contacted Kier to ask about the contract type. 

The Scottish Government said the total project cost, which includes the price of land acquisition, will be £998.m — more than twice the £400m touted in 2023 and almost six times the original £170m estimate. 

The new prison will hold male prisoners, including prisoners on remand and prisoners serving lengthier sentences. It will add a total of 357 places to the Scottish prison estate. 

The Scottish Government said the prison had been “designed to deliver fit-for-purpose, safe and secure accommodation” that will reduce reoffending and create a safer work environment for prison staff. 

Scottish justice secretary Angela Constance defended the increased price tag, saying: “Delivering the best value has been a key consideration of this project, which will provide more than £450m worth of economic benefits, including jobs and contracts for businesses in Scotland.

“It has taken time to find the right site and plan for HMP Glasgow, and like all other major infrastructure projects it has not been immune to inflation as a result of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The project’s cost has been extensively scrutinised, with independent benchmarking analysis finding the costs are comparable with similar prison projects elsewhere in the UK.”

Rebecca Boundy, public sector director at Kier Construction, said: “Using the latest techniques and modern methods of construction, we will harness the very best of our team’s significant experience in the justice sector to provide a high-quality, more efficient prison for Scotland which has rehabilitation at its core.

“The project will provide new jobs, with at least 50 per cent of project spend committed to local supply chain partners, and also including provision for those who have directly experienced the justice system in the past six months.”