In 1989 PCPT were selected as team leader to provide architectural and landscape services for the relocation of 1,900 staff to Derby from London.  The design was completed within budget, but the incoming Home Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, cancelled the project 3 months after a start on site in 1992.  

The building was to be a true European headquarters building, the first outside London.  The HMPS brief required ‘…… a civic building, a place for people to meet and congregate informally in and out of office hours’. A 6 hectare site in an historic location of Derby was selected and the design progressed  in  close  liaison  with  the  Prison  Service  and  their  consultants  - space planning, acousticians, data  cabling  etc - to  provide  40,000  sq.m.  incorporating  offices  within  a  1.2m  grid.  Security aspects were a vital consideration.

Planning  permission was granted in  July  1991 with  the  local  authority  citing  in  their  report that  the  building was ‘… special and unique ……… rare that we can consider such a fine building …………truly modern and one which the City  of  Derby  could  be  proud  of’’.   

Submissions were made to the Royal Fine Art Commission and the project  received a  very good BREEAM rating.