A new site has been bought as prison bosses look to replace Scotland's largest jail .
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it has purchased 22 hectares of land in Glasgow for the new HMP Barlinnie .
It has bought the site near Provan Gas Works in the north-east of the city from the National Grid.
SPS said the acquisition is conditional on obtaining planning permission in principle to build the replacement for the Victorian jail and a planning application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council.
During a recent visit to Barlinnie, MSPs were told 1,400 prisoners were housed in the building which opened in 1882 and has a design capacity of 987.
Staff at the jail reported 90 per cent of prisoners being forced to share cells designed for one.
The SPS and the Scottish Government have said they are committed to modernising and improving the prison estate.
A replacement for Barlinnie is said to be a priority and interim measures to improve conditions at the current prison are being sought.
SPS chief executive Colin McConnell previously told MSPs he expected the new jail could be built by 2024 at the earliest.
