New Leicestershire prison to be named after Roman road

A new Leicestershire prison will be named HMP Fosse Way following a consultation with the local community.

In December the Ministry of Justice invited residents to send in suggestions for the new 1,700-space jail.

Now a panel has chosen to link it to the Roman road originally built between Exeter, Lincoln, Bath and Leicester, parts of which lie under the A46.

The £286m facility, set to open in 2023, will replace HMP Glen Parva.

More than 130 suggestions were considered by the panel of local representatives, including council leaders and South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The Fosse or Fosse Way name already features in a number of local businesses and venues.

Mr Costa said: "I was delighted to hear that so many local people have engaged with HM Prison and Probation Service's competition to find a name for the new Glen Parva prison.

"The community has already played a central part in the creation of the new prison, and so I very much look forward to continue working closely with the Ministry of Justice, and the new prison's operator to ensure that they remain proactive in maintaining these close ties with the local community and the people of South Leicestershire."

According to the government, the site has already created 230 jobs and 16 apprenticeships during construction and when open, it is expected to offer more than 600 jobs.

The construction of the new category C prison at Glen Parva began in August 2020 on the site of the previous male prison and young offenders institution, which closed in 2017.

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