PLANS for a new mega-prison near York look set to win the final go-ahead from planners next week, despite scores of objections from furious locals.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s planning committee is being recommended to approve a reserved matters application for the 1,440 inmate Category C jail at Full Sutton, on land next to the existing Full Sutton top security prison.

Opponents claimed the jail would have inadequate landscaping and barriers to prevent light and noise pollution affecting the area, with Full Sutton and Skirpenbeck Parish Council calling for a 10 metre high bund, or earth mound, to be created.

The parish said it had tried extremely hard to work with the Ministry of Justice to achieve good landscaping for the jail, which it said would have six accommodation blocks at a height of about 16 metres when solar panels and plant machinery were included.

“The parish council considers that the landscaping measures proposed in the reserved matters application are inadequate to provide sufficient visual screening of such a large development, particularly in a very open, flat, rural area,” said the report to Thursday’s meeting.

It said Pocklington Town Council had warned that the prison would connect into the local sewerage system for foul water and it feared this would overwhelm the existing infrastructure locally and create problems for residents.

Stamford Bridge Parish Council also strongly objected because of concerns about foul water and surface water.

York Press: Full Sutton Jail, where a member of staff was assaulted

The report to councillors by Alan Menzies, director of planning and economic regeneration, said 54 letters of objection had been received raising points including:

  •  The proposed landscaping is inadequate
  •  A landscape bund is needed, 10 metres in height
  •  Acoustic fencing should be provided on the bund
  •  The prison will affect the safety of the village
  •  The prison will impact visually upon the historic battlefield of 1066.
  •  The prison will cause light pollution, overwhelm the village, increase traffic and congestion in Stamford Bridge, will be a blot on the landscape and create a reputation of a ‘prison area'.

But the report concluded that outline permission granted two years ago had established the principle, scale and access arrangements of the prison complex, and details in terms of appearance, layout and landscaping were ‘considered acceptable'.

It recommended the application should be deferred until an advertisement period had expired, with Mr Menzies then authorised to approve it, subject to a raft of conditions relating to issues such as landscaping and visual amenity.