Inquiry to reopen over plans for controversial third prison near Leyland

A public inquiry into plans for a controversial new prison in Lancashire will be reopened to consider new evidence about whether local roads could cope with the development.

The blueprint for the so-called 1,700 inmate super prison - on land next to the existing Wymott and Garth prison – was thrown out by Chorley Council's planning committee in December 2021.

However, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) later appealed against that decision and a public inquiry was launched in 2022, chaired by an independent inspector.

In January 2023, the inspector recommended the appeal be dismissed and the plans rejected over road safety concerns and its “harmful” impact on the appearance of the area.

But a letter published by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), stated they were "minded to" allow the development as long as road safety concerns were satisfactorily addressed.

The move infuriated locals opposed to the development, with the Ulnes Walton Action Group (UWAG) blasting the request for additional information as “beyond unfair”.The DLUHC has now revealed that the inquiry will be reconvened so that the new highways evidence submitted by the MoJ can be “properly tested”. 

The decision will also give campaigners the opportunity to present their own fresh material on the subject.UWAG’s Emma Curtis said that while the group would have preferred Michael Gove to accept the inspector’s recommendations, reopening the inquiry was the "only fair way” forward.

She said: “The highway safety concern was shared by the independent planning inspector, who cited it as one of the reasons for recommending to the Secretary of State that the appeal be dismissed."“UWAG also expressed concern – again shared by the planning inspector – that the urgent need for these additional prison places had not been adequately demonstrated by the MoJ,” Emma added.

The proposed prison would be accessed via Ulnes Walton Lane and Moss Lane, the same route as for the Wymott and Garth jails

A separate entry point would also be created off Moss Lane further north, with traffic-calming measures introduced in the area.Mr Gilbert-Wooldridge, who led the inspector report, noted that this section of Moss Lane would see a 322% leap in traffic as a result of the third jail.As part of the plans, changes to the road layout were proposed to address a predicted spike in delays at the another local junction – where Ulnes Walton Lane meets the A581, Southport Road.The MoJ has offered to contribute almost half a million pounds towards the cost of installing a mini-roundabout, as requested by Lancashire County Council.But the inspector says there has been no design provided to determine the effects that it might have on traffic flow.

In his response, local government minister Lee Rowley – acting on behalf of Michael Gove – agreed that the proposed road improvements were “lacking in detail” – hence the request for additional evidence.The DLUHC letter announcing the reopening of the inquiry states that highway safety and capacity are “inherently…technical and specialist areas” that would be able to be properly assessed at a new hearing. No date has yet to be decided.South Ribble MP Katherine Fletcher, in whose constituency the new prison would sit, said that she had met with MoJ ministers to make them aware of residents’ concerns.In response to the inquiry being reopened, a spokesperson for the MoJ said: “The new prison in Chorley is critical to delivering the 20,000 extra places we need to protect the public by keeping offenders off the streets and turning them away from crime.”

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