Revealed: Savills wins London jails contract

Inmates at some of London’s most infamous prisons may not think much of their cells, but they could soon be turned into luxury flats, it emerged on Wednesday.

FTSE 250 agent Savills has won a “significant” contract with the Ministry of Justice to study parts of its UK estate, the Standard can reveal.

Sites it will look at include Brixton, Pentonville and Feltham.

Options to keep buildings open will be examined, as will alternative uses, including housing.

Residential experts estimate a sale of the three London jails being looked at could generate around £300 million and pave the way for more than 1,000 homes.

The MoJ said: "We are evaluating a number of sites across the prison estate as part of our £1.3bn transformation programme.”

A spokesman added: "Following a tendering process, Savills have been appointed as our property consultants to assist with this review."

The Government first mooted plans in 2015 to sell some land and create new prisons to replace old establishments.