Warrington Residents Against Prison Proposal

Although possibly a little too late, the Ministry of Justice have, under the Freedom of Information Act, released the full list of sites under consideration for the building of Titan Prisons.

This list can be found on the MoJ Website - There are 76 locations on the list.  Two of them (yes, two!) in Warrington, one in Widnes, three in Wigan and one in St Helens (Stoke-on-Trent has 11 potential sites listed).

The two locations in Warrington are the Omega Development and one in Appleton - Dennow Farm.

It’s no wonder that the MoJ kept this quiet for so long.  According to one newspaper:

“They said it had been proving difficult to gain planning permission for the Titans. One proposed site, in Warrington, Cheshire, sparked ferocious protests.“

You bet it did.

Keep your comments coming - we’re reading every one of them.

We thank you for your support so far, and know that if we have to, we can rely on you all to come together again to fight the cause.  Just because the Titan Prisons have been scrapped, it doesn’t mean that the idea has gone altogether.  We are Warrington Residents Against Prison Proposal.

The Ministry of Justice will be announcing the list of the 5 proposed “smaller” (yet still very large) 1,500 place prisons tomorrow (Monday 27 April).  We’ll keep you updated.

After discovering that the government have less money left in the kitty than they thought, Jack Straw, MP, Minister for Justice has announced that he is scrapping plans to build any Titan Prisons.

You can read the full story here.

However, let’s not assume that our campaign is over just yet.  Whilst the scrapping of Titan Prisons is fantastic news for us and for everyone concerned, we have to face the reality that the Ministry of Justice have had their eyes on the Omega site for some time, and whilst it was on the list as being a “suitable” site for a Titan prison, we should assume that they are still looking at this site until we are either told otherwise or we see something sensible happening with the land at Omega.

Thanks to everyone who has contacted us today to discuss the news item, please keep your comments coming in, but what we would also ask is that you stay on board, keep visiting the site, as we are making progress - thanks to all of you - but we’re not quite there yet.

An Early Day Motion has been put to Parliament, which states:

“That this House notes that the Government’s proposals for Titan-style prisons have been widely condemned by those in the prison sector, including the Chief Inspector of Prisons, the Prison Governors’ Association, the Prison Officers’ Association and the Criminal Justice Alliance; further notes that the Prison Reform Trust cites overwhelming evidence against the likely effectiveness of very large prisons, including higher re-offending rates and greater risks to the safety of both inmates and prison staff; further notes that the Government has admitted that increases in capacity do not offer a sustainable solution to the problem of overcrowding in prisons; further notes that the estimated cost of Titan prisons is escalating, with the cost now estimated to between 1.7 billion and 2.3 billion; and calls for an immediate end to the plan for Titan prisons and a commitment to building smaller, fit-for-purpose facilities, funded in part by the sale of what are often Victorian facilities in city centre locations.”

Please keep an eye on this - we want to see if our own MP’s (Helen Jones and Helen Southworth) sign the motion.  So far they haven’t.  So why don’t we contact them and point it out to them that Warrington would like to see their support added to the list.

Oh, and while you’re at it, why not see if they have a response to our 10,000+ name petition.  They’ve so far made no comment on this, either.  It makes you wonder just what they’re up to and whose interests they’re looking after.  So come on Helens, sign up and show your support.  Residents will be wondering what our MP’s are doing in order to represent us.  So far, that’s not a lot.

Residents Say No to Titan Prison

We’ve noticed a number of “Say No to Titan Prison” signs have been cropping up around the Burtonwood, Whittle Hall and Westbrook areas.  This confirms to us that the feeling among residents is that they are still concerned about the proposed plans to build a Titan Prison on the Omega site and want to make their feelings known loud and clear.

In other news, a large number of residents were out in force this weekend handing out leaflets in many of the Town’s retail parks.  This has prompted an outstanding wave of positive comments in support of the campaign.  Please keep your comments coming.

Meanwhile, WRAPP can confirm that a meeting was held recently with members of WRAPP and local Councilors with the aim of pushing the Omega concept forward.  This concept is to provide 25,000 new hi-tech jobs on the multi-million pound business park.  Keep watching for more details.

Keep your comments coming, and also don’t forget to keep writing to our MP’s, Miller Developments and the Ministry of Justice, voicing your opposal to the planned Prison scheme.  A list of useful contacts and addresses can be found here.

In a letter sent to Warrington Borough Council, the Rt Hon Jack Straw, MP says:

“We have yet to confirm our interest in specific sites, and the Omega site in Warrington is one of a number which are under consideration in the North West.  Once sites are identified, we intend to follow the normal planning route and will make an application for planning permission to the appropriate local planning authority.

Before we submit any planning application, my officials will hold pre-application consultations with planning officers, local councillors and other interested parties on the detail of the proposed prison development in the usual way.  This will include a public exhibition to explain the proposals and give local people the opportunity to comment.”

The full letter is here:  (click image to enlarge)

Letter to Council Leader Ian Marks from Jack Straw - Click to enlarge

Keep your letters going to Miller Developments and our MP’s, Helen Southworth and Helen Jones.

And as always, keep your emails, comments and enquiries coming to us at WRAPP.  We’ll keep you updated.