Ministry signals super-prison siting needs

The Government has set out the siting requirements for its proposed programme of new super-jails, known as Titan prisons, due to be located in the West Midlands, South-East and North West England.

The Justice Ministry has published a consultation document on its proposals which made it clear that the preference is for brownfield sites of between 50 and 60 acres, not overlooked, containing no listed buildings and neither on marshland or the flood plain.

The report has insisted that the ground should be suitable "for traditional building approaches up to four storeys or higher without requiring special treatment".

The ministry has stressed that candidate sites should allow for future prison expansion and could conceivably be capable of being developed with other Ministry of Justice facilities like probation approved premises or offices. Also under consideration would be sites where there could be a joint development with the Court Service to provide new court facilities.

Ministers hope to have the first of possibly three new Titan prisons built by 2012.

Download the Titan prison consultation (PDF, 0.30mb)

Roger Milne

12 June 2008