'Mega' jail plans for 1,440 inmate prison in East Yorkshire submitted to council for final sign off

Plans for a vast new jail in East Yorkshire are expected to come back before East Riding councillors for final sign off.
By Alexandra Wood
Published 4th Sep 2021, 06:00 GMT
The Category C prison will be built next door to maximum security HMP Full SuttonThe Category C prison will be built next door to maximum security HMP Full Sutton
The Category C prison will be built next door to maximum security HMP Full Sutton

The Category C jail will house up to 1,440 inmates and be built next door to HMP Full Sutton, a maximum security prison with a capacity of 608.

The plans were given outline planning consent by East Riding councillors in 2019 - despite 3,300 objections. They are now coming back to the council for so-called “reserved matters” approval, including landscape and layout.

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Full Sutton residents, along with people from the area’s surrounding villages, ran a major campaign in 2019 to stop the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) proposal, fearing that the village - which only has a population of 440 - would become a “prison fortress”.

Proposed Reserved Matters site plan - those in red are from the earlier outline applicationProposed Reserved Matters site plan - those in red are from the earlier outline application
Proposed Reserved Matters site plan - those in red are from the earlier outline application

Humberside Police had also objected on the grounds that the new prison would push up crime rates, placing “significant additional demand” on the force.

The planning application says that the design is aimed at supporting prisoner rehabilitation and reducing re-offending rates.

The prisoners are in the second-lowest risk category who are approaching the end of their sentences. They will be housed in six four-storey cross-shaped blocks in similar locations to those shown at the outline planning stage.

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The overall number of buildings has been cut from 17, to 12 with those in support functions consolidated into fewer blocks with larger footprints.

Documents submitted online say the aim is to provide a “pleasant environment for prisoners, staff and visitors” with “quiet gardens for contemplation” and spaces where prisoners can keep fit using outdoor fitness equipment and sports pitches.

They add: “The ‘campus-style’ environment encourages positive behaviour with opportunities ‘designed in’ to reflect normal life as far as possible whilst maintaining security and surveillance.”

The plans have been drawn up following consultation with the MoJ, the Prison and Probation Service and others involved in building new jails including the £253m Category C HMP Five Wells, which is being built on the site of Wellingborough Prison in Northamptonshire. It will hold 1,680 inmates when it opens next year.