Plans to expand troubled prison gain approval

CONTROVERSIAL plans to expand troubled Parc Prison to house hundreds more inmates have been approved.

- LEWIS SMITH

The proposal was given the go-ahead at a council planning committee to build a new “K-shaped house-block” that will accommodate an extra 345 residents along with an additional 160 members of staff.

HMP Parc is a category B prison located in Coity, Bridgend. It was opened in 1997 and is operated by private security firm G4S.

The current site holds a total of 1,670 inmates as well as 676 members of staff.

The application was handed in by Galliford Try Construction Limited earlier in 2025 on behalf of the UK's Ministry of Justice.

It will now see works at the privately run facility to build a new block on the southwest of the site along with the repositioning of parts of the boundary wall.

This comes in addition to the development of a replacement kitchen and dining block, along with a new gym, multi-faith building, education building, and visitor/staff entrance with extra car parking and associated infrastructure.