New blow to village's fight against third jail

The government want to build a new prison near Ulnes Walton

A legal bid to overturn the government's plan to build a village's third prison has failed.

Residents in Ulnes Walton, near Leyland, already live near HMP Wymott and the high security jail HMP Garth near to it.

The refusal to grant leave to appeal against the plans means that the village is now one step closer to being home to more prisoners than local residents.

Campaigners from the Ulnes Walton Action Group (UWAG) said they would continue to follow the the remaining legal option left for them to try to overturn the proposal.

They had sought to launch a judicial review after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner decided not to follow the recommendation of an independent planning inspector, and gave the green light to the planned category C prison.

It came after inspector Tom Gilbert-Wooldridge said for a second time that the proposed jail should be refused permission, mainly over safety concerns about the impact of construction vehicles on local roads during the five years it would take to build.

'Last avenue'

After considering UWAG's appeal attempt, a High Court judge has now concluded Ms Rayner – acting in her capacity as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – made a lawful and reasonable decision.

However the group has one final chance to block the jail plan by applying to renew its application for judicial review.

Emma Curtis, from UWAG, said: "We always said, right from the start, that we would take this as far as we could go.

"We promised the local residents that, and so that's what we continue to do.

"But this is the last avenue. If we're unsuccessful, then this will be the end of the road."

Prison population

The renewal process will see barristers for both UWAG and the government present their case at an oral hearing before a judge, in contrast to the written submissions on which the previous leave-to-appeal decision was based.

Ms Curtis says she remains "hopeful" the jail – which would act as a resettlement facility for men nearing the end of their sentences – will not get off the ground in the government's chosen location.

But if it does, there will be around 1,000 more prisoners living in Ulnes Walton, bringing the total to about 3,700, compared with about 2,600 villagers.

Detailed reasons for the judge's refusal of UWAG's initial judicial review bid were not published.

A date for a future hearing is expected to be set in the coming days.