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New prison hit with delays and price rise


By Donald Wilson

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A NEW prison planned for Inverness will be delayed by six months the Scottish Government has announced.

The opening of the new prison on land near the Inverness Campus had been earmarked for spring 2021 but about a dozen major projects across Scotland have been delayed.

The news came in an update on the government’s capital plans.

The new completion date for the prison is October 2021 and costs have risen from £73.9 million to £80.5 million.

The 200-inmate facility, which will be known as HMP Highland, will replace the crowded and ageing Victorian Porterfield Prison in the city’s Crown area.

The project has had a troubled history but following strong local objections the site near the Inverness Retail Park, close to the campus and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise offices was identified.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “We have purchased a site and we have planning permission for the new prison and it will go ahead if funding is available.”


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