HMP Gartree: Council will not challenge 'super prison' decision

A council that rejected plans for a new "super prison" in Leicestershire said it will not challenge the government's decision to give it the go ahead.

The 1,700-capacity jail will be built adjacent to HMP Gartree, despite objections from local residents and Harborough District Council.

Councillors at the authority voted against allocating funding for a legal challenge at a meeting on 11 December.

The government said the jail would help to combat rising inmate numbers.

Planning permission for the jail was originally rejected by the council on the grounds that the plan was unsustainable, "ill-thought out" and would harm the countryside.

An appeal was brought by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the plan was subsequently approved by Communities Secretary Michael Gove on 15 November.

The council said there was "no reasonable chance of being successful in a legal challenge".

A spokesperson said: "Harborough District Council wanted to fully explore the option of a legal challenge and funded advice from King's Counsel (KC) on the matter. Unfortunately, [they] advised that no grounds for a challenge have been identified.

"[Our] chief finance officer also advised that allocation of funding for this legal challenge would not meet the fiduciary duties of the council.

"The council recognises that the decision not to allocate funding for a legal challenge was a difficult one and there is a lot of concern about the new prison in the community."

The project, which was first submitted in September 2021, will see workshops, a kitchen, dog kennels and a car park for more than 500 cars built at the site.

Locals living close to the prison, some of whom have been involved with the Gartree Action campaign group, said the decision to approve the prison "disrespected them".

Neil O'Brien, Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, said the council's decision to not carry out a legal challenge was "disappointing".

He added: "I was hoping that the council would help us to fight on against this, but clearly they are not going to do that.

"I think a lot of people who are affected by this still do want to fight on because they still think it's the wrong decision, and I am happy to support them."

The MoJ previously said the new prison would "keep dangerous offenders off the streets".

A statement added: "[The] decision at Gartree is critical to delivering the 20,000 extra places we need to keep dangerous offenders off the streets and will boost the local economy by creating hundreds of new jobs."

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