Prison bosses defend their plans for a new £300 million 'superjail' near Harborough

As we have been reporting, campaigners have been fighting the plans which will go before Harborough District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday April 5
The site of the proposed jail.The site of the proposed jail.
The site of the proposed jail.

Prison bosses have hit back at campaigners fighting to stop a new £300 million “superjail” being built near Market Harborough.

They are putting their case forward after activists issued a graphic they claim highlights the huge impact the 1,700-inmate male prison would have on the surrounding area if it goes ahead at Gartree.

The image was released by Gartree Action Group as the massive Ministry of Justice (MoJ) initiative is set to go before Harborough District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday April 5.

But an MoJ spokesman told the Harborough Mail: “The graphic does not reflect the proposals.

“For example, the area where the car park is placed on the map would be the biodiversity area.

“On some of the points made, (by the campaign group), we would challenge the claim that economic benefits would be ‘negligible’.

“While that may be the view of some, I think it’s only fair to reflect, in that context, our commitment to spending £3 million on improvements to broadband, the nearby residential estate, a new play area in Gartree Village and the walking route to Foxton Primary School,” said the spokesman.

“The total value of highways improvements will be £750,000 - £1 million.

“The prison would create around 600 permanent jobs for the local community and we expect that it would provide approximately a £40 million per year boost to the local economy from wages and local spend.

“It will also create around 100 additional jobs during the construction phase.

“The vast majority of health services will be provided on site too and we are working with the NHS on the necessary local services,” added the spokesman.

“A Traffic Impact Assessment was carried out which considered the typical number of staff on site as well as shift patterns and determined that traffic will be at an acceptable level.”

You can check out the MoJ’s consultation document for the proposed new jail by clicking here.

Campaigners and villagers insist the planned “superjail” would blatantly flout Local Development Plans while targeting a totally “unsustainable site”.

“The lack of such public transport links impacts particularly badly on the families of the inmates who have to travel miles to visit in addition to the already recognised need for staff to travel by private vehicles and the increase in daily deliveries to the site,” said Gartree Action Group.

“The ‘super’ prison would cover greenfield land currently used for agriculture.

“And the scheme goes against elements of the National Planning Policy Framework, the Harborough District Council Local Plan Policies and Neighbourhood Plans.

“Added to this, the 1,700 new inmates would be using many of our already overstretched local specialist NHS healthcare facilities and any economic benefit to the Market Harborough area would be negligible with contractors coming from afar.”

Protesters also argue the new jail would increase traffic pollution and make “poor air quality along the A6 going through Kibworth” even worse.

The prison project is being fiercely fought by parish councils at Great Bowden, Lubenham, Foxton and Gumley as well as leading Harborough district councillors like Phil Knowles.

To find out more visit Gartree Action Group’s website here: https://gartreeaction.weebly.comThe MoJ says that the new green eco jail would plough about £75 million into the local economy if it gets off the ground.