12 Sep 2005

Interserve, the infrastructure and facilities management group, has, with its partners, been named preferred bidder by the Scottish Prison Service for the Addiewell Prison PFI project in West Lothian.

Interserve will be responsible for the design and construction of the 700-cell facility,  which will incorporate the highest security standards and will therefore be capable of housing a variety of prisoner groups. Once the prison is constructed the PFI concession will last for 25 years.

Welcoming the announcement, Interserve Chief Executive Adrian Ringrose said, "We shall be working closely with the Scottish Prison Service as we bring our state-of-the-art design and construction techniques to bear in this major development. This is the fourth custodial project in our PFI portfolio, of which the other three are now all in their operational phases following the opening of Peterborough Prison earlier this year."

Interserve Investments Plc will be managing the Group's one-third equity stake in the project.