New prison houseblocks to make streets safer
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-29)

A Devon jail is set to almost double in size as the Government ploughs ahead with the largest prison building programme since the Victoria era.

- Two new houseblocks to be built at HMP Channings Wood by end of 2027
- Jail’s capacity boosted by 40 per cent to lock up dangerous criminals.
- Latest step in Government’s plans to build 14,000 prison places nationwide, as part of the Plan for Change.
Work is underway on the 500-place expansion at HMP Channings Wood, which will see the prison grow by around 40 per cent with two new four-storey houseblocks.

The new cells will be fully operational by the end of 2027 and will help ensure there is always enough space for dangerous offenders – cutting crime and keeping the public safe.

The major project will also include the construction of a new jobs and education workshop, training prisoners with the skills they need to turn their backs on crime for good.

Today’s news represents a significant milestone in the Government’s aims to build 14,000 additional prison places by 2031 - with around 2,500 of these having already been built since July 2024.

The build will also create hundreds of jobs in the South West, with an additional 200 permanent jobs expected at the prison once the houseblock is complete.

Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending, Lord James Timpson said:

This Government inherited a capacity crisis in our prisons.

We will never let that happen again, ensuring there is always space in our jails for dangerous offenders, part of our Plan for Change.

We’ve delivered 2,500 new places in the last year, on track for 14,000 by 2031. In the fourteen years to April 2024, only 500 places were added to our estate. This new site alone will provide that many.

The project will be delivered by Kier, a leading provider of infrastructure services, construction and property developments.

Rebecca Boundy, Managing Director (Justice) at Kier Construction, said:

We’re proud to be a trusted delivery partner for the government, supporting expansion plans here at HMP Channings Wood and across the UK prison estate.

After recently completing HMP Millsike and starting work on expansion projects at HMP Northumberland and HMP Lancaster Farms, our specialist teams are delivering high-quality, state-of-the-art prison accommodation and facilities that are fit for the future.”

Offenders at the prison have also undertaken training by Kier – earning qualifications to work in construction on release to keep them on the straight and narrow.

The construction follows the opening of the around 1,500-capacity prison in Yorkshire, HMP Millsike, in March. The Government is investing £4.7 billion to deliver these prison builds, whilst investing up to a further £300 million towards vital building maintenance across prisons and the probation service in this financial year.

The prison building programme will work alongside the upcoming sentencing reforms to ensure there is always a cell to lock up the most dangerous offenders.

Background
- The houseblocks will provide 494 places.
- Other key stakeholders in the programme include Mace and Gleeds.
- The Government is investing £4.7 billion to deliver these prison builds over this spending review period (2026/27 - 2029/30).