Lowmoss Prison

Lowmoss Prison is located on the outskirts of Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire; near Glasgow, Scotland. It had been operated by the Scottish Prison Service and was for low-category prisoners who had sentences of less than 36 months to serve.

Originally a World War II-era RAF Barrage balloon station, the prison was of wooden, single-storey construction, and the accommodation comprised 11 Nissen hut dormitory-style units linked by internal corridors and Davidson House, a temporary, pre-fabricated building. The corridors linking the dormitories were narrow and did not permit good access. Some investment took place, with the partial refurbishment of seven dormitories in the mid-1980's. The accommodation was communal and offered little privacy. It housed approximately 300 prisoners at any one time. In early January 2007, it was announced that the Scottish Executive had overruled the initial objection by East Dunbartonshire Council for the prison to be totally rebuilt to modern standards under a Private Finance Initiative. However a review by the Scottish Government called for a re-evaluation of original plans, and the site as been secured with a new perimeter fence, but the buildings within are now falling into disrepair.

The tendering process is expected to be re-run and the reeplacement prison after completion will be three times the present size, capable of containing 700 inmates in a medium-security facility. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6384669.stm "BBC"] ] The prison closed in May 2007, following an order authorising its formal closure. [http://www.oqps.gov.uk/legislation/ssi/ssi2007/ssi_20070322_en_1 "Discontinuance Order 2007"] ]

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