High-security prison outside Gatton being built with Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre set to open in 2024

Unrivalled for scale in Queensland and located right on Toowoomba’s front door, construction on the $861m high-security Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre is well underway. Take a look inside here.

The size of 16.5 Suncorp Stadiums, construction is well underway for Queensland’s newest men’s high security prison being built on Toowoomba’s footstep.

Located 12km northeast of Gatton, the colossal Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre will be a 1536-bed, health and rehabilitation oriented facility when complete, with the facility an attempt to reduce the strain on the state’s prison system.

Construction work is underway for a new high-security prison 12km northeast of Gatton, with the 1536-bed centre to be called the Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre. Photo: Corrective Services Queensland.

Police and Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan said the mammoth $861m jail will boost economic prosperity in the Lockyer Valley.

“The new Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre will geographically be the biggest centre in Queensland, bringing substantial ongoing job prospects and economic support to the Lockyer Valley,” Mr Ryan said.

Construction has already injected $547m into the Lockyer Valley via local trade and employment opportunities.

Construction work is underway for a new high-security prison 12km northeast of Gatton, with the 1536-bed centre to be called the Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre. Photo: Corrective Services Queensland.

Local suppliers within a 125km radius have been the beneficiaries, rewarded with 86 per cent of current trade packages associated with the site.

Inducting 1700 workers to the site during construction, operating the centre will require a workforce investment commensurate with the scale of the location according to Mr Ryan.

“Once the centre is open, the workforce will be in the many hundreds – that’s hundreds of good, secure and ongoing jobs for people within the region looking to get involved in keeping Queensland communities safe,” he said.

“This project has generated jobs for Lockyer Valley locals, with more than 130,000 hours invested in training to date, which significantly contributes to the region’s prosperity.”

Construction work is underway for a new high-security prison 12km northeast of Gatton, with the 1536-bed centre to be called the Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre. Photo: Corrective Services Queensland.

The equivalent of 12 Olympic sized swimming pools of concrete have been used onsite, while 11km of fencing will surround the facility, an indication of the prison’s giant expanse.

Increased assaults on correctional officers brought on by overcrowded jails led to the commission of Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre in 2019.

Efforts to combat congestion and violent incidents will be bolstered by the recruitment of onsite mental health, dog squad, cultural liaison and custodial correctional officers at the Gatton location.

Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Paul Stewart said the centre will become a major part of the Lockyer Valley community’s security and prosperity.

“When we open, we will need a substantial workforce to operate the centre and are looking for people with different skills to enable us to provide onsite services and programs for the health and rehabilitation of prisoners,” Mr Stewart said.

“As buildings come into shape it is looking more and more like a modern, fit-for-purpose centre every day.”