​We URGENTLY need your help!

The Ministry of Justice wants to build a huge new prison next to the existing prison at Gartree. This will house nearly three times as many prisoners as at the current prison, which will total nearly 2,500 prisoners. The combined number of prisoners will be more than all the residents of the nearest villages of Gartree, Lubenham and Foxton.

Do we want Market Harborough to be known as the prison capital of the East Midlands?

To help communities struggling with high unemployment, should the Government instead be looking to build these new 'Super' prisons elsewhere as a part of their 'levelling up' programme?

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Reasons to object

If the Government is truly in favour of 'levelling up' the country, they should look to build more of these huge prisons in other areas where there are sustainable locations with good transport links and high unemployment. It is clear that the only reason the MOJ are looking at Gartree for the site of this ‘Super’ prison is because they own the land. We already have our share of these new 'Super' prisons just half an hour away in Wellingborough and Glen Parva along with many other smaller prisons. One would question why the Government sees fit to have these new ‘Super’ prisons situated so close to each other.

For the Government to meet their target of 10,000 new spaces they would need to build another 4 or 5 'Super' prisons and should look to other areas in the country with high levels of unemployment and far better transport links. With the new HS2 being built this is the perfect opportunity for the Government to implement what they said they would do with their 'levelling up' agenda. Building a new 'Super' prison at Gartree is not sustainable or suitable for the following reasons:

Unsuitable Location & Poor Transport Links
The already busy local roads would not cope with the increase of vehicles for the required 800 staff, plus daily visitors and service vehicles to the prison. The MOJ are proposing to install cycle lanes suggesting the additional 800 staff required in the new prison will be able to cycle to work. This clearly is a complete nonsense and is merely a box ticking exercise for the MOJ. It will not help with congestion on the small rural roads that approach Gartree from all areas. The staff are unlikely to arrive by bus because the only bus service is infrequent and does not fit in with train times or shift changes. Therefore, the majority of staff and visitors will arrive by car. This is clearly not sustainable transport. 

Poor Air Quality
Another aspect which is completely beyond the control of the MOJ is the poor air quality along the A6 going through Kibworth with high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide. A survey was undertaken of this area and ranked by Friends of the Earth as ‘the fourth worst on a list of 71 areas of the East Midlands where national air quality standards are being breached’. This stretch along the A6 would see a huge increase of vehicles being driven by staff, visitors and deliveries to and from the prison each day. Lutterworth also has high emissions levels.

No Benefits for Local Residents 
Claiming there will be benefits to the Market Harborough area is not true. The existing prison, which has a capacity of 700 prisoners, continues to have  difficulties recruiting and retaining staff from the local area. Market Harborough is an area of very low unemployment so the majority of the additional 800 new staff required will come from outside the area. A more suitable location for a new 'Super' prison would be situated near an urban area, where there are the people to fill the staffing positions and where sustainable transport is more easily accessed.

Dispelling the myth
That prison visitors will bring economic benefits to the Market Harborough area is overstated. A study has shown that the likely spend for each visitor is £7 per visit.

Local Services Unable to Cope
The increase in the prison population will have a detrimental effect on our local services & NHS particularly A&E. There will be hundreds of extra people needing A&E & Specialist services not provided by the prison. Cases of self harm in prisons that may require a visit to A&E are frequent. 

Super prisons do not work
Studies have proved that the re-offending rate increases with the size of prison. Both prisoners and staff have higher rates of poor mental health in these large 'Super' prisons.

Oversized Development with negative impact to nearby villages 
The new prison will significantly increase flooding in the area especially in Lubenham and Foxton. There has been insufficient data to prove that measures can be taken to prevent flooding with the increased water flow from hard surfaces.

Sewerage Works Unable to Cope
The existing sewerage works will not cope and will require significant work to supply pipes and at local water treatment works affecting roads & residents.

Light Pollution
24 hours a day, seven days a week the security lighting will be visible in the night sky from miles around which will have a negative impact on both residents & wildlife. 

Use of Greenfield Land & Separation Area
The new 'Super' prison will cover land that is a greenfield site currently used for agriculture. The MOJ claim that there will be a increase in Biodiversity but they have no proof of this. A detailed environmental report has not been submitted. This land is also part of the Lubenham separation area from Market Harborough.

Against elements of National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), HDC Local Plan Policies & Neighbourhood Plans (NDP's)
The application for the new 'Super' prison goes against Planning Policies which have been put in place to offer protection from possible planning applications which would cause a negative impact to the local community and associated loss of natural habitat.

​Here are some of the policies contravened by the application:

HDC Local Plan Policies
Harborough Local Plan Policy GD3 seeks to limit new development in the countryside to those that are compatible with such a location. A prison does not fit into this category.
Policy GD1 – sustainable development. Lack of access to the prison by sustainable means. Poor bus service and no footpaths or cycle paths.
Policy GD8 – Importance of Foxton Locks as a tourist destination. Building of a Super prison will detract from the local area adding further traffic (including construction & delivery HGV’s) to narrow village roads, impeding access to the Locks.
Policy BE1 – does not designate this site as an area for business/employment growth.

Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan
Contrary to Policy LNP01 – of Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan as building on a part of the separation area defined in Lubenham Neighbourhood Plan.
Contrary to Policy LNP07  - Gartree is not considered to be a sustainable settlement as there are no facilities or amenities, footways or cycleways to the site.
Contrary to Policy LNP 16 - Business Development - Proposals for new business/employment development should:
be of a scale, density and design appropriate to its setting
such that it would not cause damage to the qualities, character and amenity of the area and its residents: 

 
Foxton Neighbourhood Plan
Contrary to policy F5 – will harm the network of local ecological features and habitats. It will damage existing ecological corridors and landscape features which will have a knock on effect on biodiversity in surrounding areas.
Contrary to policy F15 – will cause more flooding in Foxton and possible of overstretching the capacity of the Foxton sewage treatment works.
Contrary to Policy F3 – increased traffic using Foxton as a cut through to the A6 affecting the tranquility of the village.

The applicant says that an assessment of the environmental impact is not required. However, given the size of the site and the number of prisoners and staff who will be on site, it can be argued that HDC should challenge this assertion and ask for a proper assessment of the environmental impact.

Other Developments in the Locality – Airfield Farm (1800 houses plus a possible 1100 more) and Wellington Business Park affecting the rural nature of our villages. The sum of all these developments needs to be considered particularly in respect of Highways with the huge amount of extra traffic and the Local services which will be overwhelmed.

WHAT YOU CAN DO