Work set to start on Yorkshire smart prison

Main contractor Kier will start work this autumn on the UK’s newest smart prison, a facility that will have over 1,400 modern places to get more offenders into jobs and away from crime.

The £400M prison in East Yorkshire will include an unprecedented array of workshops and classrooms, so prisoners spend their time behind bars learning new skills to find work on release – factors known to significantly reduce reoffending.

It will also be the first new prison to operate as zero-carbon in the future, with an all-electric design, solar panels, heat pumps and more efficient lighting systems to reduce energy demand significantly.

In a boost for the local economy, the new prison will create hundreds of jobs in construction, and a further 600 once the establishment opens.

Prisons Minister, Stuart Andrew, said: “I am delighted work can begin on yet another modern, innovative prison that will skill-up untold numbers of offenders to live a crime-free life while making our streets safer.

“The new prison at Full Sutton will also support hundreds of jobs, in construction and afterwards, representing a major boost to Yorkshire’s economy.”

Group Managing Director of Kier Construction, Liam Cummins, said: “Delivery of the new prison represents over a decade of Kier operating as a successful partner to the Ministry of Justice and highlights our ongoing commitment to the New Prisons’ Programme.” 

The cutting-edge prison is due to complete and open in 2025.