Whilst I understand the concerns of residents it appears Full Sutton and Skirpenbeck Parish Council (FSSPC) have created unnecessary concern at this stage for residents by not stating the true current position of the Outline planning application correctly. This morning I discussed the situation with ERYC Planning in an attempt to calm the situation down and manage residents understandable concerns and anxiousness.

Due to the FSSPC approach to this application ERYC Planning are being overwhelmed with inappropriate and shocking objections from all over the Country. Ultimately this could disengage those who will consider this application. FSSPC are in danger of achieving the opposite of what they intend.

For example – on Thursday I will be attending a Planning meeting at County Hall where the Agenda alone runs to 270 pages. For the Prison application add to this all the ill-advised objections and those who sit on the ERYC Planning committee will be unable to assimilate everything.

To prevent disengaging the Planning Committee I would like to suggest residents and FSSPC read the following. In addition I would like to suggest that FSSPC conduct themselves in a responsible manner and share this to their networks.

The following statement is confirmed as fact by ERYC Planning:

“This is an Outline application. At the Outline planning stage in essence all that will be looked at is the principle of the development of the site for use as a Prison complex (Planning use class C2A ‘Secure Residential Institution’), and matters which have been specified by the applicant to be considered at this stage – Access and Scale  :

Access – This will be via the current site entrance onto Moor Lane. A Transport Assessment has been submitted to establish the potential impacts of the larger prison development on the surrounding highway network both during construction and when operational. The Council’s Highway Officers and consultants are currently reviewing this, so it is not yet known whether  road improvements may be required.  For the previously approved smaller scheme, no off site road improvements or contributions were required.

Scale – All that can be considered at this stage is the maximum scale parameters set out in the application – the total gross external area of 59,500 square metres.  This is shown on the indicative lay out plan as being spread over 12 separate buildings,  with heights between 5.2m and 12.5m .

The remaining matters of Appearance, Landscaping and Layout – including its visual impact (design, density, bulk, materials), arrangement of the buildings within the site and positioning of windows etc will not be considered in detail at this outline stage.

If this application is approved a reserved matters application will have to be submitted. At that stage such other matters will be considered in more detail.

Any objections that relate to  matters reserved for future approval and  are not in relation to an Outline application cannot be fully considered at this stage.  This includes debate about the merits of a prison within the criminal justice system and assumptions about the type of prisoners.”