A Ministry of Justice press release published on 14 September 2026 said HMP Lancaster Farms in Lancashire was set to gain four new houseblocks, raising its capacity from 584 to 824 places — an increase of more than 40 per cent. Construction was due to finish by the end of that year, according to the release. It said the cells would include reinforced windows intended to counter threats such as drones carrying contraband, and that a new workshop would offer prisoners training and skills for work after release.

The department described the expansion as part of the Small Secure Houseblocks Programme, which it said would deliver 1,080 new Category C places across six prison sites, and of a wider plan to add 14,000 spaces by 2031. It also cited the recent signing of a contract for the first phase of a separate 1,700-place prison in the Lancashire region, and said £110m was being invested to convert existing space, including unused offices and storage areas, into cells.

Prisons minister Catherine McKinnell, who the release said visited the site that week, was quoted as saying more than 3,300 places had been delivered across the country in little over two years. HMP Lancaster Farms is described as a Category C resettlement prison for adult men serving the Northwest of England. The release said the expansion forms part of £4.7 billion in prison building investment over the 2026/27 to 2029/30 spending review period.