Closed consultation

New Prison near Market Harborough - The New Prisons Programme

Published 15 January 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Welcome (from the Rt. Hon. Edward Argar MP)

Thank you for visiting our website, which provides further information on the Reserved Matters Application process for a new category B prison on land next to HMP Gartree in Market Harborough. A new prison will deliver much needed safe, secure and decent prison places. 

In November 2023, outline planning permission was granted for a new prison next to the existing HMP Gartree. This planning permission established the principles of a new prison being built on the site and set the foundation for a further reserved matters planning application. This will provide detailed information around the appearance and layout of the proposed development.  

As part of our work to drive down crime, we have committed to creating thousands of additional prisons places, through a combination of building new prisons as well as extending, refurbishing and maintaining existing prisons. 

More prison places are needed and have so far been delivered through new prisons at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire and the new prison in Full Sutton, Yorkshire (HMP Millsike), which is still under construction. A new prison next to HMP Gartree would deliver further on the much needed prison places. 

We understand that the proposals are significant and that there has been considerable local interest and concerns about the proposal. As such, we are keen to provide more information about how these proposals are progressing, starting with this period of community engagement on the reserved matters. We look forward to continuing to listen to and engage with the local community, the local MP and councillors as this project moves forward.

I hope you find this information document useful.

Edward Argar MP

Minister of State for Prisons and Probation

The New Prisons Programme

The Government committed to building 20,000 new prison places, around 10,000 of these are expected to be created by new prisons. So far, the New Prisons Programme has opened two new prisons. HMP Five Wells and HMP Fosse Way.  

A further prison is under construction in Yorkshire, HMP Millsike, which is expected to open in 2025.

A photograph of HMP Five Wells, showing some of the houseblocks.

HMP Five Wells, Northamptonshire - Opened March 2022

HMP Five Wells prison was completed in early 2022, the first of the new design prisons. HMP Five Wells is a category C men’s prison.

A photograph of HMP Fosse Way houseblocks, showing the multi-use games area in the foreground.

HMP Fosse Way, Leicestershire - Opened June 2023

We started building HMP Fosse Way in the Summer of 2020 and it was officially opened in June 2023. HMP Fosse Way is a category C men’s prison.

The new prison at Gartree

The new prison near Market Harborough will provide safe, decent and secure prison places. It will be one of the most environmentally sustainable prisons in the estate, and equipped with modern technology which can be used to help prisoners turn their lives around. 

In total, the new prison will include 14 new buildings set within a secure perimeter fence. The design of these buildings has been prepared in accordance with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) strict technical standards to maintain the level of security needed for a category B prison.

A computer generated image of the proposed prison layout, with areas 1-3 marked.

The prison will be separated into three areas: 

1. Entrance Resource Hub

The Entrance Resource Hub is the only entrance and exit to or from the prison. It serves as the primary point of contact for families visiting prisoners and for professional visitors (e.g. solicitors). This building includes the visitors centre, which has been designed to cater to the needs of families and provides a range of facilities to ensure a positive experience.  It is also the staff entrance to the prison. 

2. Central Services

This includes workshops, healthcare and education, a library and a multi-faith centre. Workshops play a key role in prisoner rehabilitation by providing space for prisoners to gain new skills and training.  Other support facilities, such as the kitchen, horticulture area and a sports pitch, will also be included within this zone. 

The new prison will have its own outpatient healthcare facilities on site. Prisoners will be able to receive advice on-site, as well as treatment (including dental treatment) and check-ups. 

3. Houseblocks

This area will have seven new houseblocks with room for 245 prisoners each (a total of 1,715). Each houseblock is four storeys high and in the shape of an “X”. Three of the wings are made up of cells and there is one support wing per houseblock where prisoners receive food and medication etc. 

There is also a small building known as the Care and Separation Unit which ensures provides specialised care and support for prisoners who require additional attention and supervision.

Environment and the new prison

Preserving and enhancing the local wildlife at the site is a key part of the outline planning permission.   

• The new prison will be all-electric and more energy efficient, using 78% less energy than traditional prisons in the estate.

• A Biodiversity Net Gain of 26.2% that will be maintained for at least 30 years (compared to a Government target for new developments of 10%).

• 20,000 sqm of native woodland trees will be planted at the east, south and west perimeters of the site including Alder, Aspen, Silver Birch, Field Maple, English Oak, Rowan Scots Pine and Bird Cherry.

• 230 sqm of new hedgerow planting to replace the 28 sqm lost, presenting a significant gain in habitat for woodland birds, butterflies, small mammals and amphibians.

• Newly relocated badger population with a series of new setts linked to the open countryside along the eastern and southern boundaries.

• Five new ponds - one within the prison and four to the northwest. These new habitats will increase wetland connectivity and provide support for frogs, toads, newts, reptiles and a range of insects and birds.

• 33,000 sqm designated open space to the west of the new prison, which will also have public walking access.

A computer generated image of the prison from an aerial view.

Security and the new prison

Our plans will deliver a new category B training prison on land to the south of the existing HMP Gartree. 

Category B training prisons are secure prisons which means that prisoners are kept within secure prison boundaries (either a high wall or fencing) all the time. They take prisoners from local prisons after sentencing and provide them with training and education to help them address the causes of their offending behaviour and give them the skills they’ll need upon release. 

Our new design has public safety as a priority, whilst also helping prisoners to turn their lives around during their sentence. 

Prisoners are not usually permitted to leave the prison. Any training or work takes place within the prison. 

Additionally, prisoners would not usually be released from a category B prison. When a prisoner approaches the end of their sentence and following rigorous monitoring, they are usually transferred to a category C or resettlement prison to prepare them for release. 

Security is an area that is constantly evolving; the enhanced security of the new prison includes: 

• A high perimeter fence (5.2 meters)

• CCTV within each building and on the grounds, drug dogs for searching of prisoners, staff, visitors, and communal areas, patrols inside and outside the perimeter fence

• Cell windows which do not open, with air vents

• Areas that may be vulnerable to throw overs of illicit items are limited to protect the prison against this security risk

• Enhanced searching of visitors and staff, including body scanners

• Anti-drone technology – we plan to install the most up-to-date anti-drone technology

• Technology to block and detect mobile phones

Planning Conditions set at Outline Planning stage

When Outline Planning Permission was granted, it set out the conditions that must be met when the new prison is built. 

These include:

• The height of all buildings will be no greater than 17.5 metres 

• Demolition, construction and remediation works will take place only between 0800 to 1800, Monday to Friday, and at no time on weekends or Bank Holidays. 

• There will be no demolition of buildings/structures, felling of trees or removal of shrubs during the nesting seasons, unless a nest check has been carried out by a qualified ecologist and found to be clear. 

• The prison will not be occupied until the means of access and necessary widening for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists have been constructed as part of the approved plans. 

Full details of the conditions are provided in the Appeal Decision granting outline planning permission.

Next steps - Reserved Matters Application

In November 2023, outline planning permission was granted on appeal for the new prison.

Outline Planning Permission establishes the principle of development at the site and includes permission for a new access, the scale (height and footprint) of the buildings and the landscaping. It also set out certain conditions that must be adhered to.

There is now a second step in the planning process, called a Reserved Matters planning application. This application will provide further technical details about the appearance and the layout.

• Appearance covers how the buildings will look, including the materials and lighting used.

• Layout is how the site will be arranged, including the way in which buildings, routes and open spaces are placed and orientated.

This is what’s happened so far, and the next steps for the prison:

1. October 2022 - Planning Inquiry (including public representations)

2. November 2023 - Outline Planning Permission granted

3. January 2024 - Public engagement on reserved matters planning application

4. February 2024 - Reserved matters planning application submitted

##Reserved Matters - Appearance

As part of the reserved matters application, we propose that the appearance of the prison will feature:

• Seven houseblocks holding 245 male prisoners each, along with seven support buildings such as workshops and a kitchen. 

• The exterior appearance of the buildings will be modern in design. 

• The houseblocks will be 4 storeys in height with a pitched roof. The houseblocks are of a functional design. Each cell will have a window (non-opening). The buildings will be constructed of beige coloured concrete, with a grey metal roof. There will be solar panels on the roof of the houseblocks. 

• The main entrance building will be 3 storeys in height and be similar to that created at HMP Five Wells (see picture below). The building will be constructed of beige brick and metal cladding. 

Image showing the entrance building at HMP Five Wells.

• There will be 2 x 2 storey workshops providing employment and vocational teaching facilities for the prisoners. The buildings will be constructed of grey metal panels, with a grey roof and buff brickwork. There will be solar panels on the roof of the workshops. 

Full technical details of the appearance of the prison will be submitted as part of the reserved matters application and will be available to view online via the local authority planning portal.

Reserved Matters - Layout

As part of the reserved matters application, we propose that the layout of the prison will feature:

• Careful design to provide security and safety. 

• The majority (all secure areas) of the prison will be surrounded by a 5.2 metre high perimeter fence. 

• There will be seven houseblocks in the shape of an “X” design situated in the east section of the site.

• There will be multi-use games area (MUGA) pitches between the houseblocks for recreational use by the prisoners. 

• There will also be a large MUGA pitch adjacent to the workshop buildings.

• The workshop and entrance hub buildings will be situated on the west part of the site adjacent to the staff car park.

• Biodiversity net gain areas have been identified to the west of the new prison and to the north. These areas will generate 26.2% Biodiversity Net Gain.

Full technical details of the layout of the prison will be submitted as part of the reserved matters application and will be available to view online via the local authority planning portal

An image of a houseblock at HMP Five Wells with a multi-use games area outside.

Your comments

Should you have any comments relating to the reserved matters of the prison, you can submit comments online via the MOJ Consultation Hub

Alternatively you can write to us:

Briefing and Correspondence Team
8th Floor
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ

Please submit your comments on the reserved matters of the prison by Sunday 4 February 2024. Following this, we expect to submit the RMA to the local planning authority for their consideration.