Great escape?

Tories say 1,500 inmate jail plan a non-starter

OLDHAM’S Conservatives believe a proposal to build a 1,500-inmate prison in Chadderton has been quashed.

There was anger after the Ministry of Justice refused to rule out land between Foxdenton Lane and Ferney Field, near to Radclyffe School and parkland, being used for a jail after it appeared on a list of 76 proposed sites.

Tory MEP Sajjad Karim led the opposition and wrote to Oldham Council chief executive Charlie Parker to question the council’s position.

Mr Parker has now written back saying the council has not been contacted over proposals for a prison and while council officers recall a general requirement for a prison being circulated a number of years ago, no specific site was identified. The current owner of the land also knows nothing of the proposal. He added: “The Foxdenton site is allocated for future development and is being brought forward in the council’s Local Development Plan as an employment site.

“The council, through its Property Partnership arrangements, has attempted to purchase this land in the past, but negotiations broke down and the owner is currently speaking to a number of alternative developers.”

There were concerns the site was not suitable as it is surrounded by housing and two schools and would harm the landscape and cause traffic problems.

While there’s no evidence that the site has been removed from the Government’s list, the Tories have taken the letter to mean the site won’t be used as a prison and say they are relieved.

Mr Karim, recently re-elected as a North West MEP, said: “The future use of the land is still unknown and I will join my Conservative colleagues in closely monitoring any upcoming planning developments.

Chadderton Conservative Councillor Eileen Hulme said: “The Conservatives believed it was a nonsense to build a prison so close to schools and other local amenities and finally here is confirmation that common sense can prevail.”

Colleague Councillor John Hudson said: “There seems to be an insinuation that the property is still ‘up for sale’, although any approaches to buy the land for building a prison there have been refuted by the land owner.”

The controversy started when Justice Secretary Jack Straw shelved a £1.2bn Titan prison programme that would have created three, 2,500-place, jails and proposed to build five smaller prisons instead. Only two locations have been chosen, with three yet to be decided.

Oldham West and Royton Labour MP Michael Meacher wanted the Ministry of Justice to remove Chadderton from the list of potential sites but said no decision will be taken for about a year.

Lib-Dems have also been opposed.