This short article describes the work of local rural communities working together to resist a proposal to build two 'mega prisons' in the remote countryside of North West Essex.
In September 2021, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) shocked people living in Wethersfield and neighbouring villages by proposing to construct two 'mega prisons', each with a capacity of over 1,700 prisoners at Wethersfield Airbase (a redundant Ministry of Defence (MOD) facility).
From the outset, there was concern about the size of the proposal which would see nearly 3500 men held in the remote countryside, on a contaminated site located at some distance from the strategic road network and accessible only via narrow twisting country lanes, totally inadequate for HGV traffic in the construction phase and thousands of staff and visitor journeys once operational.
We were told we could not expect to dissuade the MoJ and that we should simply accept the proposal but argue for community benefits. Local residents refused to accept this and decided to resist the proposal. The community lodged a petition, opposing the proposal, with Government in the summer of 2022 which more than 10,000 people signed - a remarkable achievement given our small local population. Two organisations were formed, The Fields Association (TFA), with a campaigning arm, Stop Wethersfield Airbase Prisons (SWAP) and a consortium of local Parish councils, the Wethersfield Airbase Scrutiny Committee (WASC).
TFA and WASC gathered evidence to counter the arguments put forward by the MOJ to argue that a prison at Wethersfield would not be in the local or national interest. We pointed out that the East of England already has more prison places than prisoners. The MoJ have tried to claim that the local community would benefit from jobs and work for local businesses, but our area enjoys high employment and the prisons would be built by the alliance approach which involves a limited number of major contractors. Employees might have to travel from 50 miles away so a prison at Wethersfield would compete for recruits with Highpoint and Chelmsford.
The remoteness of the site from main roads is another major argument against siting a prison. Our villages have wholly inadequate bus services making it near impossible for staff and prisoner families to get here. The MoJ claimed that a high proportion of staff and visitors would travel to work by bus or cycle but the provision of 1000 car parking spaces suggests this is just a pipe dream.
Rather than simply say NO to any kind of development on the site and risk being labelled NIMBY'S, both organisations have been careful to argue that whilst the site is unsuitable for prisons, it may be suitable for something else. We have highlighted the potential for alternative uses including affordable sustainable houses, small business units, decentralised renewable energy and heritage and nature restoration. These would not only address local needs but address a number of national policy priorities with no burden on the public purse.
The community has wished to contribute to the debate on the apparent failure of the nation’s prison policy and has provided evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, The Times Commission and more recently the Sentencing Review. Our views are broadly similar to those in the interim release of information from the Review. It seems likely there will be a move towards more community punishments and presumably eventually, fewer prison places; but there is no certainty that this approach will be adopted. The apparent failure of the current approach, continued overspending in the Prisons building programme and the parlous state of the country’s finances suggests that a rethink is long overdue.
The need to make a decision is particularly urgent in our community. We have endured the prospect of a mega prison complex on our doorstep for 3 years and six months. Throughout that time, we have continually lobbied the MoJ, our MP, government departments, local government, and other entities, providing comment on the site’s unsuitability and seeking clarity on whether the proposal would be advanced. We have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the site fails the MoJ’s own site selection criteria. However, the MoJ has throughout simply reiterated its position that no decision has been made.
This continued indecision is unnecessary and unhelpful. This state of limbo is affecting property sales, hampering the development of plans for alternative uses and having a noticeable effect upon community health and well-being. This situation has been compounded by the Home Office’s decision to locate an asylum centre at Wethersfield in July 2023 with a planned closure by 2028.
We will continue to seek clarification from the Home Office and the MoJ on the future of the site and develop our alternative proposals.
Signed on behalf of the TFA and WASC
