New £250m 'super-prison' that will be Britain's biggest and have space for 2,000 inmates gets the green light



The prison is due to open in Wrexham, North Wales, in 2017



Justice Secretary Chris Graying said the project will boost Welsh economy



Said super-prison will also save taxpayer money and create more space

Britain's biggest jail, with space for 2,000 inmates, has been given the go-ahead today.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed plans to build the £250million ‘super-prison’ in Wrexham, North Wales with work on the project is due to start next year and the jail opening in 2017.

But a further four prisons are to due close under the plans to build two new 'super jails in England and Wales.



An artist's impression of the 2,000-capacity 'super-prison' in Wrexham, Wales, that will be announced today

Work on the project is due to start next year and the jail is set to open in 2017

One new prison will be built on the 108-acre site of a Firestone rubber factory, which is owned by the Welsh Assembly.

In June, when plans for the prison were first mooted, Mr Grayling said it would help ensure more inmates were locked up at lower cost to the taxpayer.



He said: ‘My priority is to provide enough prison places for those sent there by the courts – and to do so in a way that gives taxpayers the best possible value for money.

‘This will be the first prison in North Wales and a massive boost to the Welsh economy.

‘It will provide around 1,000 much-needed jobs, great opportunities for local businesses and millions of pounds worth of construction opportunities.

‘It will also allow offenders from the region to be held closer to their homes, which we know helps prevent reoffending.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the prison will save the taxpayer money

Mr Grayling said the project would also be a boost to the Welsh economy

‘Across the country I am reducing the cost of prison by replacing old, inefficient buildings with newer accommodation that is cheaper to run.

‘This new prison allows us to continue this work while providing a significant and rapid investment in the Welsh economy.’

The average price of a single prison place for one year is £40,000 but in new jails the cost can be less than half that figure. Officials estimate the new jail will eventually save taxpayers £20million a year.

Britain’s biggest prison by number of inmates is Oakwood in the West Midlands which holds 1,605. Next in size are Liverpool and Birmingham jails which each hold around 1,450. Wandsworth prison in South London has 1,300 places.

However the new prison will be dwarfed by Europe’s largest, Fleury-Merogis Prison on the outskirts of Paris, which can hold 3,800 prisoners.

Meanwhile Blundeston in Suffolk, Dorchester, in West Dorset, Northallerton in North Yorkshire and Reading prisons will close, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.



As well as being cheaper, new prisons can provide more opportunities for rehabilitating offenders with purpose-built workshops and training centres.