MoJ revives plans for mega jail at rural coronary heart of James Cleverly’s Essex constituency: Officers need to go ‘full steam forward’ on big jail for a minimum of 1,700 inmates regardless of Residence Secretary’s ‘considerations’

The Ministry of Justice has revived shelved plans for a mega-prison to be inbuilt Residence Secretary James Cleverly’s constituency, in response to inside authorities emails.

MoJ officers say they need to go ‘full steam forward’ with plans to construct a jail designed to accommodate a minimum of 1,700 inmates in rural Braintree, regardless of ‘considerations’ raised by Mr Cleverly and his constituents.

Locals to Finchingfield, close to the £6mn dwelling of TV chef Jamie Oliver, have written to the federal government to induce in opposition to the plans, arguing it might result in better street congestion, threaten wildlife and undermine native heritage.

The Residence Secretary had additionally advised residents he had raised his ‘personal considerations’ with justice ministers about disruption to street infrastructure, following consultations introduced again in 2021.

Residents had believed the plans had been scrapped for good with the appointment of MP James Cleverly as Residence Secretary this yr. 

If the plans do go forward, Class B and Class C prisons may very well be erected on the 800-acre website of a former RAF airbase at Wethersfield, simply two miles from Finchingfield.

In an e mail dated November 9, a Ministry of Justice official referred to (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) Michael Gove’s resolution to defer the constructing of two super-prisons ‘but once more’.

‘This implies we now have much more of an crucial to go full steam forward on Wethersfield — and as mentioned we already had one with the announcement of a brand new jail websites growth pipeline,’ the official mentioned, in response to emails obtained by The Telegraph underneath Freedom of Data legal guidelines.

 ‘I do know there are some areas of potential battle between our plans — I’d be grateful if our groups might work these points by briefly order,’ the official mentioned.

A Residence Workplace supply additionally mentioned the Residence Secretary had not ‘opposed’ the plans as he was a member of presidency; the supply advised The Telegraph he couldn’t be concerned as Residence Secretary because of the doable battle of curiosity.

Cleverly mentioned he had ‘echoed lots of the views which have been expressed to me concerning the slim rural roads within the surrounding space’. 

Through the preliminary session interval, the jail was pitched as a possibility for the world, bringing employment, coaching, upskilling in development and native spending.

Plans described the proposals as being ‘very completely different’ to older prisons, higher for inmates and staff engaged on website.

The session doc mentioned the websites would ‘present secure, first rate and safe prisons. They are going to assist prisoners to vary their behaviour so they’re much less prone to re-offend after launch’. 

However some residents rapidly shot down the plans, involved concerning the results it might need on neighbouring Finchingfield, a picturesque village the place homes promote for a median of £425,000.

The village brings in vacationers from afar who come to benefit from the quaint rural life and historic buildings, which served because the setting for BBC’s Lovejoy collection. 

The world, wealthy in wildlife, has additionally been proposed as a website for 2 new beaver enclosures to be inbuilt a bid to cut back native flooding.

The £350,000 venture, funded by an environmental partnership, will see two new 50-acre enclosures constructed, 10 instances the scale of the unique enclosure which was inbuilt 2019.