Council rejects plans for 'mega prison' in North Bucks

The Ministry of Justice's (MoJ) application to build a new Category C prison adjacent to the existing HMP Grendon and HMP Springhill has been rejected by Buckinghamshire Council.

Buckinghamshire Council's Strategic Sites Committee unanimously voted against the MoJ's proposal on Thursday to build what would have been one of the largest prisons in Europe in rural North Buckinghamshire, just outside the village of Edgcott.

Protesters had labelled the planned structure a mega prison.

Committee Chairman, Alan Turner, stated: “After careful consideration the Committee felt that the combined effects on the local area in terms of sustainability, heritage and the environment would have an overriding negative impact.”

Buckingham MP Greg Smith, who has been working with councillors and residents for the last year to fight the proposals, spoke against the plan at the meeting. He said: "The MoJ's application was speculative and totally inappropriate, with no consideration of the rural area. The site is surrounded by small settlements and served by an inadequate network of rural and unclassified roads that are already under pressure from existing approvals and approved growth in Aylesbury and Bicester.”

Grendon Underwood Ward Councillor Angela Macpherson, who is also Buckinghamshire Council Deputy Leader, added: "The prison development would have devastated the local landscape. We already have too much traffic in this rural area and even more would make road conditions dangerous locally.

“This lovely country area is just the wrong place for such a big development. I want to thank local residents for working so hard to oppose this application.”

The struggle may not yet be over though. The Secretary of State for Justice could appeal the decision, as alluded to by Greg Smith in the meeting. He continued: “This victory is an important one.  Together we have convinced planning officers to recommend refusal and the Strategic Sites Committee to actually refuse the application.

“But it is not the end of the road, the next step of the battle is to ensure the Ministry of Justice understands the strength of feeling locally and that their application has failed to meet key planning policy tests.”

The existing Grendon Prison is a category B prison holding around 200 adult male prisoners, all of whom are serving long determinate or life sentences.

Spring Hill Prison is a category D open prison, holding approximately 300 men. It is jointly managed with Grendon Prison, which is on the same site.

[PICTURE: MP Greg Smith on Twitter]