New cell block could be added to prison build plan

Work on the new prison began in August 2020

Another 250-capacity cell block could be added to a prison being built in Leicestershire.

Work started on the new Glen Parva jail after it was approved in 2020, with a name confirmed in March.

The current plans will create space for about 1,700 inmates over seven cell blocks, but the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has now launched a public consultation over the possibility of building an eighth.

Revisions also include a support building with office space, classrooms and other facilities.

The MoJ has not yet submitted a planning application for the extension, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says, but it will need approval from Blaby District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council.

Both authorities originally granted outline planning permission for the prison – which is replacing the old HMP Glen Parva Prison – in 2017, with full approval coming three years later.

The Category C prison is expected to be completed early next year and be in use by the summer.

According to the MoJ, it will create more than 600 jobs.