The last structural beam has been put in place at HMP Welland Oaks in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, according to a Government announcement. Officials say this clears the way for contractors to start on the jail's security systems and rehabilitation facilities.
Security and training
That next phase covers counter-drone equipment and technology to block illicit mobile phones. Ministers say the aim is to keep drugs and other contraband out and to target the organised crime gangs that supply them. A number of workshops are also planned, where inmates can gain skills and education.
Wates Construction is building the site, which sits close to HMP Gartree and will house adult male prisoners at category B. It is designed for around 1,700 men, and the first arrivals are scheduled for the start of 2029.
Local jobs and spending
According to the announcement, hundreds of jobs are being created during the build and will continue once the prison opens in 2029, with roles open to local residents, apprentices and prison leavers. Figures as of September 2026 show 29 apprentices have worked on the scheme so far. Over the same period, £269 million, or 85.5% of project spending, went to businesses located within 50 miles of the site, officials report.
National building programme
Ministers present the prison as part of the biggest wave of jail construction since the Victorian era, with 14,000 extra places promised by 2031. By their account, the 14 years to July 2024 yielded a net increase of just 500 places.
Catherine McKinnell, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, said 3,300 places have already been delivered nationwide.
A contract approving the next phase of another new jail, in Buckinghamshire, is due to be signed soon. That enabling works deal is for a Category C resettlement prison beside HMPs Grendon and Springhill, which is expected to provide 1,468 places.
Separately, £110 million has been brought forward to speed up the delivery of hundreds of places, partly by turning offices, laundries and storage rooms that are no longer in use into cells. Officials say capacity is also being freed by deporting foreign national offenders more quickly and by addressing Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.
