Last November the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) launched a consultation seeking the views of residents and businesses on plans for a potential new prison in Buckinghamshire, adjacent to the existing Grendon and Springhill prisons.
Originally, the consultation was announced to end on 24th December, but after an intervention from Greg Smith MP, the Secretary of State for Justice extended it to 29th January 2021.
Over the past few weeks Greg has attended a number of virtual public meetings on the issue and has attended a site visit to walk the boundaries of where the MoJ are proposing to build a new 1,400 capacity Category C resettlement prison. He has also been copied into a very high number of objections from local residents.
The Buckingham MP has now submitted his own formal objection to the proposals - incorporating the concerns raised by as many local residents as possible. The letter can be downloaded below.
Commenting, Greg said: "Put bluntly, the last thing we need right now is another major construction project. Lives have been turned upside down by HS2 and East West Rail as it is. In a word 'enough'. That is before we get onto the specific arguments about why this site is simply not suitable for such a major development, such as its very poor transport links. I will be working hard now to do everything possible to convince Ministers not to proceed with this ill judged proposal."
If you have still not taken part in the consultation, there is still time - please ensure your voice is heard by 29th January 2021 by clicking here.
