The so-called super prison for 1700 inmates will be located on greenbelt land in Ulnes Walton, near Chorley, Lancashire, next to the existing HMP Garth and HMP Wymott.
An initial bid by the Ministry of Justice to build the Category C facility was rejected by Chorley Council in 2021 amid concerns inmates would outnumber residents.
The previous government, under Boris Johnson, appealed that decision but a planning inspector subsequently recommended it be dismissed.
But after two public inquiries and a further recommendation by the planning inspector to refuse the appeal, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, in her position as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has given the plans the green light.
She said any harm would “clearly be outweighed by the benefits” and that “very special circumstances justify approval”.
But villagers have a very different view.
They’ve formed the Ulnes Walton Action Group to try to block the plans and feel Rayner has simply ignored their “serious” concerns.
Dave Williams, 64, a prominent member of the group, who’s house overlooks the 107 acres of fields where the prison will be built, says: “The planning inspector’s report gave good reasons to dismiss the appeal on the grounds of road safety and the effect on green belt land.
“He said there was significant risk of harm but the the secretary of state has decided there will be ‘limited harm’.
“To me, she’s not really considered all the issues.”
His wife Helen Williams, 63, agrees.
“Ms Rayner doesn’t know the area and I doubt she’s even met with any planning officials,” she says.
“It’s very frustrating because we put our trust in people who have the knowledge to make the right decisions.
“But it seems she’s just going against what the experts say.”
The group reject any suggestion their objections are simple “Nimbyism” because of the wider potential impact on the area as a whole.
With Category B, 845-capacity HMP Garth and 1,192-capacity HMP Wymott and the new prison, this will mean more than 3,700 inmates across the mega-site compared to a village population of just 2,600.
“It’s the size and intended purpose of the new prison makes it unsuitable for this site,” Dave says.
“The building work will mean heavy construction traffic using country lanes and a doubling of the prison population will lead to a doubling of the 2,000 plus traffic movements for staff, visitors, deliveries and so on.”
He questions the wisdom of building a new, Category Prison C in a rural area, with few available work opportunities, when inmates could be eligible for day release as they near the end of their sentence.
“Where will they get work around here?” he says.
“We have a petrol station, a timber merchant, an equestrian centre and a corner shop.”
“And prisoners won’t be able to travel any distance to get work because the transport links are so poor.
“It makes more sense to build the prison where there are more job opportunities.”
Helen adds: “It’s not simply that we don’t want prison.
“We moved here in 1990 when there were already two – Garth and Wymott – right next door.
“But a third one is just impractical. They MoJ should consider other sites.”
They are also doubtful of the proposed economic benefits for the community, with only 10% – or just 12 – of the 120 construction jobs going to local people and few resident working in the existing two prisons.
Another concern is drones. With so many drugs being flown into HMP Wymott, it’s become an “airport” with prison inspectors citing “major security issues’ and a “breakdown in safety and security”.
Understandably, locals fear a third prison will simply add to the problem.
Ulnes Walton Action Group spokesperson Lynette Morrissey says they are now considering their next move but they are determined to keep fighting the plans.
Ms Rayner’s decision can be challenged within six weeks by an application to the High Court for leave to bring a statutory review.
Lynette, 74, says: “We have got our lawyers going through the 224 pages of the inspector’s report to see if we have any grounds to make an application.
“We were extremely disappointed by Ms Rayner’s decision to overturn his recommendation – the second time he’s made that recommendation.
“We’ve proved our point three times to the planning authority and to planning inspector that the road safety issues associated with developing this site have not been satisfactorily mitigated.
“So it brings into question the justice and fairness of the decision and also democracy.
“Where do we stand as local people to be able to defend our way of life in this rural community when there are other sites available for this prison?”
She accepts there’s a need to build more prisons – due to a lack of capacity nationally – but points to alternative locations such as the existing HMP Kirkham and an industrial estate in Oldham.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government told the Telegraph: “Ministers have granted planning permission for a new prison on land adjacent to HMP Garth and Wymott. The reasons for the decision have already been set out in the decision letter … it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
Councillor Alistair Morwood, Executive Member for Planning and Development at Chorley Council said, “It’s disappointing that the concerns of Chorley Council and the local action group haven’t been listened to. An Inspector has twice recommended the appeal be dismissed. The minister has acknowledged concerns raised, however the decision to approve has still gone ahead. We now hope that the concerns raised are addressed in the detailed planning to follow.”
The permission granted by Ms Rayner is in outline form, meaning full details of the development will still have to be approved by Chorley Council.
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