Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill was treated to a rare dose of sunshine during his site visit to Scotland’s first custom-built community facing prison yesterday.
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and Skanska jointly hosted the Justice Minister’s visit, showing him plans of the new prison, which included a 3D animation of the construction sequence. The visit also saw the Justice Minister meet two children from Burnhaven Primary School, who were awarded first place in a health and safety poster competition organised by Skanska.
Praising the team he said: “I’m delighted to meet those who are constructing what will be the most modern and secure prison in Scotland. This new community facing prison means that men, women, and young offenders, remand and convicted prisoners from the north east of Scotland will be able to stay within the local community. Helping offenders retain close contact with their families plays an important part in reducing the cycle of reoffending.”
Commenting on the day’s success, Skanska’s Project Director, Gareth Jacques said: “The Justice Minister has heard a lot of good things about HMP Grampian, so to finally meet him and explain our plans for the new prison was a great opportunity for Skanska.
“Hosting the day alongside our client worked extremely well, this allowed SPS to take the minister around the existing facility and enabled us to show him the progress made to date and highlight our community involvement. I would like to thank every member of the project team for their hard work and dedication in getting us to this point, especially considering the logistical challenges of this remote location.”
The project team is currently working on site clearance with contruction completing Summer 2013.