Super prison: What’s next
LATEST PHASE OF PLAN THAT HAS ANGERED VILLAGERS TO BE RULED ON NEXT WEEK
plans for a controversial super prison next to HMP Gartree have been recommended for approval.
Outline planning permission has already been granted for the category B prison, which villagers of Gartree, near Market Harborough, fought to prevent being built.
The original plan for the huge super-prison, capable of housing 1,700 inmates, was rejected in 2022 when Harborough district councillors voted unanimously to reject the application against planning officers’ advice.
At the time, the decision was met by cheers and applause from the residents and parish councillors, who had been opposing the bid since plans were put forward.
However, in November last year, 18 months after it was initially rejected, the scheme received the go-ahead from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, who ignored the advice of the government’s own planning inspector.
With the overall plan approved, the latest application covers the layout and appearance of the site.
The district council’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday to consider it.
Planning documents state there will be 14 buildings in the main prison, in a landscaped setting.
The cell blocks, called houseblocks, will be four storeys high, and will be more than 100 metres away from the nearest home.
“The layout of the new prison has been carefully considered in respect of Gartree village and the surrounding area,” according to the application.
“It was established during the consideration of the outline planning application and subsequent appeal for the new prison that the distance from the nearest houseblock to the nearest property on Welland Avenue is over 100 metres with open space and a secure fence in between.
“There is, therefore, minimal risk of overlooking from the houseblocks.”
Entrances and exits would be via Welland Avenue. The car park would be next to the prison entrance off Welland Avenue, and have 530 spaces – 341 for staff and 189 for visitors. It is proposed that a footpath from the site would connect to a footpath in Welland Avenue.
Residents have been consulted on the latest plans, with 100 letters sent out, and three site notices posted in the area, the documents state.
When the scheme received the goahead last November, a government revealed Mr Gove agreed with many of the planning inspector’s conclusions but disagreed with her recommendation to throw out the appeal against the decision to block the prison.
Mr Gove said he accepted the eviFURTHER dence put forward by the applicant, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which showed “a significant unmet need” for prison places.
Set to be built next to HMP Gartree, the prison could host around 1,715 male prisoners, and is named Gartree Two in the documents.
The MoJ said: “Careful consideration has been paid to the privacy of surrounding residents as well as the integration and improvement of the local environment.
“These proposals represent a modern prison development which has been designed to be more rehabilitative to prisoners with practical activities to foster new skills.
“The working environment for staff is important, along with creating a more welcoming experience to visitors, whilst being considerate to the neighbours and the wider surrounding area.”