Grendon prison rejected by Council

Plans for a third prison in Buckinghamshire housing nearly 1,500 prisoners have been thrown out.

Buckinghamshire Council unanimously rejected the Ministry of Justice's (MoJ) planning application for a new Category C jail at Grendon Underwood, near Aylesbury. 

The plans had met with strong opposition from local residents and parish councils.

The Prison Service said it would consider the council's decision.

The outline planning application for the new prison stated the "resettlement" jail could house up to 1,468 prisoners and would be built on MoJ-owned land next to the existing Grendon (Category B secure) and Springhill (Category D open) prisons, off Springhill Road - and cover up to 67,000 sq m (721,000 sq ft). 

The council received nearly 500 objections to the plan with people expressing concerns about noise pollution, increased traffic, loss of privacy and sense of security.

In addition, a council report stated there were "significant concerns" about the sustainability of the site, landscape and visual impact.

Planning officers said the MoJ's proposal conflicted with local planning policies and that there was "a lack of clear and convincing justification for the development of the site".

The government had said the plans formed part of its targets for 10,000 extra prison places over the next decade to meet population forecasts.

'Totally inappropriate'

Greg Smith MP, whose Buckingham constituency covers the land where the prison would have been built, told the Strategic Sites Committee meeting that the application was "speculative and totally inappropriate, with no consideration of the rural area".

Afterwards the Conservative MP said the decision was "an important victory" and that he would be talking to the government to try to prevent an appeal against the council's ruling.

"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," he said.

"I will be taking the case to the secretary of state for justice, demanding he does not appeal this decision and leaves Buckinghamshire alone."

The council's Conservative Deputy Leader, Angela Macpherson, added that the development would have "devastated the local landscape".

"This lovely country area is just the wrong place for such a big development," she said.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Our proposals would benefit the area by creating hundreds of new jobs locally as well as helping to keep streets safe.

"We are now considering the council's decision and will continue to work closely with local authorities and the community."

In a planning document, the MoJ had said the proposed site "satisfies many of the site search criteria and is situated in a region where substantial demand for additional prison places is expected".