HMP Forest Bank

A full research programme on prison buildings on both sides of the Atlantic was undertaken to deliver a final solution which secured the winning PFI bid.

The brief for this PFI prison project was to design an 800 bed, Category B Male Prison. The prison was constructed on a demolished power station site and utilises some existing foundations. Site works included the regeneration and redevelopment of a substantial area in the Greenbelt adjacent to the River Irwell and the Salford Canal site. The site layout was developed around a straight central pedestrian street which links the three principle zones of Residential, Support Facilities and Entry Building. Central support facilities (Faith, Recreation, Healthcare, Kitchen, Reception, Workshops, Education, and Staff Facilities) are clustered together on either side of the central circulation.

The compact layout achieved by using four storey accommodation and efficient site planning grouping support facilities together allowed a significant reduction in site area to approximately 70% of that of the exemplar design. This resulted in an economic solution which also provided an enlarged public park next to the river. All of the cells are to Safer Cell Standard and a new cell prefabrication system was developed for the project.