The Government today setout plans to build four new prisons in the next 7 years, opening up around 6,500 places to lock up dangerous criminals.

Under the 10-year prison capacity strategy, unveiled by the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, a further 6,400 places will be built in new blocks on current sites, 1,000 rapid deployment cells will be rolled out and over 1,000 existing cells will be refurbished.

This expansion and upgrade plan would open up a total of 14,000 places by 2031, helping to tackle the capacity crisis.

Around £2.3bn will be invested to back this prison build, while a further £500m will go towards vital building maintenance across prisons and the probation service.

To get shovels into the ground fast, changes to planning rules will see prisons deemed as sites of national importance, reflecting their critical importance to public protection.

This will put an end to lengthy delays in the planning process which are stopping new prisons from being built as quickly as needed.

The government will also get ahead of demand with an ambition to acquire new land for potential future prisons if needed and to make sure the supply always keeps up with demand.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:  “The last government pretended they could send people away for longer and longer without building the prisons they promised. This strategy reveals that their prison building plans were years delayed and nearly £5bn over budget. They left our prisons in crisis, on the edge of collapse.

“Part of our plan for change, this capacity strategy, alongside an independent review of sentencing policy, will keep our streets safe and ensure no government runs out of prison places again.

In just a few short months, this government has already added around 500 places, as part of the 20,000 place prison expansion programme.

Last week, Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner gave the go-ahead for a new prison next to HMP Garth in Lancashire, on greenbelt land, after three years and four months stuck in the planning system.

This will allow for around 1700 prison places to be built on the site.