New prison to cost more and take longer to build

An artist's impression of the new prison

Building a new prison for the Highlands will cost more and take longer to complete than previously estimated, the Scottish government has said.

HMP Highland is being constructed as a replacement for Inverness Prison, which is more than 120 years old and does not meet modern standards.

A site near Inverness Campus has been bought and cleared, but an initial cost of about £52m had risen to almost £140m in 2022. It had been expected to be ready next year.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance told Holyrood on Wednesday the cost was expected to rise further and the opening date pushed back to 2026.