Yorkshire's new super prison: residents plagued by construction noise and concern over disappearing water voles
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) yesterday revealed the new name of the £400m prison as HMP Millsike saying it was after a watercourse “that runs adjacent to the new jail, firmly embedding the prison into its local community."
The Category C jail, which will open in 2025, is being built next door to maximum- security HMP Full Sutton.
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Hide AdHowever Wolds Weighton councillor Leo Hammond said: “The people who are sadly having to deal with this monstrosity don’t really care what it’s called.”
He said the MoJ and contractor Kier had cracked down on inconsiderate HGV drivers. However residents were still being disturbed by the "ridiculously loud" noise from sporadic sheet piling, which has been going on and off since late last year, and can be heard from as far away as Wilberfoss, six miles away.
Coun Hammond said they had been reassured that work to build tanks for surface water run off is nearly finished - but last week the noise was again plaguing locals.
And he said since the Millsike Beck was culverted and a new one built, the local water vole population had disappeared.
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Hide AdHe said: "The MoJ and Kier are celebrating this name - it's like they don't understand what they are doing to local people. It's not all happy, singing, dancing.
"There are people who work night shifts, they have to sleep during the day and they can't. The local population feels they are being ignored. Let's not forget Millsike Beck was diverted and in doing so they destroyed a local water vole population. There were water voles there before. It's not all green and cheery - it's patronising rubbish and the local population won't fall for it."
Permission was granted to build the jail which will house 1,500 prisoners despite 3,300 objections.
Villagers in nearby Full Sutton – population 440 - ran a campaign to stop the proposal, fearing that the village would become a “prison fortress”.
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Hide AdIn its press release the MoJ said the jail will be the first in the UK to run solely on electricity, with solar panels and heat pumps. It would use around a quarter of the energy used to heat traditional Victorian prisons like HMP Wormwood Scrubs – cutting its energy bill by over £1m a year.
Prisons Minister Damian Hinds, said: “Naming this site puts us one step closer to our new prison playing its vital role in protecting the public and cutting crime.
"This is a vital advancement towards our goal of creating 20,000 modern, innovative places.”
The MoJ said: “We are working closely with the local council and community to manage the impact of construction – including rigorous measures to keep noise to a minimum and restrict certain building activity to afternoons.
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Hide Ad"The site has been specifically designed to provide a sustainable habitat for the water vole population.” Recent ecological reports suggested that the water vole population “may have been impacted” by predators, but it was still a viable habitat “should they return”.
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