HMP Fosse Way, former site of HMP Glen Parva

The development sits within the boundaries of the former HMP Glen Parva prison compound in Wigston, Leicester which closed in 2017. The development consists of a new Category C resettlement prison compound for around 1,700 prisoners. This includes workshops and classrooms to allow prisoners to learn new skills to best prepare them for the integration back into the community. The prison complex opened in the summer of 2023, with expansion plans approved towards in the winter of 2022.

The expansion plans consist of an 8th houseblock which will be able to accommodate approximately 250 prisoners within the four-storey houseblock. The ancillary building will include administration, teaching and workshop spaces for construction, woodwork, planting and decorating classes among other activities.

Envision were appointed by Bryden Wood to carry out BREEAM New Construction assessments on both the original prison compound completed in 2023 as well as the expansion containing the additional houseblock and the ancillary building from design stage through to post construction. BREEAM assessments can provide great value to prison developments. There are huge energy demands for prison complexes, BREEAM assessments can help to reduce both regulated and unregulated energy usage.

Due to the impact the size and nature of the development have on planning and construction, sections of the development fall under different BREEAM versions. The original prison complex and additional houseblock was assessed under BREEAM 2014 whereas the ancillary building was assessed under BREEAM 2018. The different versions, while similar, have slight differences which results in a slightly different approach to both buildings. Additionally, there are complexities regarding the classification of the buildings. A prison is assessed differently from more typical buildings within BREEAM meaning the weighting of credits and the assessment of credits can vary greatly from a more typical building. For example, the method for evaluating lighting control and the view out from windows differs within cell blocks. Envision have been able to provide valuable experience to the project have previously worked on BREEAM assessments for prisons previously, such as HMP Five Wells, which won the Building Project of the Year Award.