Controversial prison plans approved by council

Plans to build a new prison next to HMP Gatree in Leicestershire have taken a further step forward.

Harborough District Council's planning committee voted to approve the design and lay-out of the 1,700-capacity jail when it met on Tuesday.

Residents told the meeting they were worried about the impact of construction traffic on nearby roads.

However building work is now expected to begin later this year, the council said.

The latest decision is part of a lengthy process in which the authority refused planning permission for the category B complex in 2022 before the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove, over-ruled the decision.

Residents have campaigned against the proposed prison arguing nearby homes would be overlooked by the new cell blocks and raising concerns about access to the site.

However, Mr Gove said he accepted the evidence put forward by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which showed "a significant unmet need" for inmate places.

On Tuesday, planning committee member David Gair said: "This is a sensitive planning decision. Everyone agreed [the prison] should not be built and it has been imposed.

"There's nothing we can do about ir except make sure that as it is built, it is built in the least intrusive manner possible."

Under the approved plans, there will be 14 buildings within the main prison, in a landscaped setting.

The accommodation buildings will be four storeys high, and "over 100m" away from the nearest home, they add.

The MoJ said The Ministry of Justice it was committed to working closely with the local community on the plans throughout construction and into operation.

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