Government overrules inspector to back prison plan

The new jail would be the third in central Lancashire

Plans for a so-called super prison have been given the green light by the deputy prime minister three years after the local council rejected the application.

The jail will hold 1,700 inmates and be built on green belt land on the border of Chorley and Leyland, close to HMP Garth and HMP Wymott.

Chorley Council had refused the application for Ulnes Walton jail over concerns inmates in the area would out-number residents in the nearest village, and the planning inspector recommended an appeal against the authority's decision be dismissed.

But Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has decided the harms identified would "clearly be outweighed by the benefits".

She concluded that "very special circumstances exist which justify approval" and that "material considerations justify a decision other than in line with the development plan".

She highlighted the "need for the development", the benefits associated with a modern prison, and the economic benefits of the plan.

The Ulnes Walton Action Group, a campaign group fighting to block the plans for the prison, said it was "disappointed" by the decision.

It can be challenged within six weeks by applying to the High Court for leave to bring a statutory review.