NEW plans for a huge prison in East Yorkshire have been submitted.

The Ministry of Justice wants to build a new Category C facility for more than 1,400 male prisoners on the site of the existing Full Sutton prison near Pocklington.

Despite receiving outline planning permission for a new £91m “super prison” with 1,017 inmates in July 2017, the MoJ is now seeking a 42 per cent increase to the planned capacity, to house 1,440 prisoners.

If approved, the number of proposed house blocks would rise to six instead of four, with 17 buildings – six more than previously planned – constructed on the site.

A total of 720 staff will be needed to run the prison, which will involve a local recruitment drive to fill an estimated 389 positions while further construction jobs.

The plans form part of the Government’s £1.3bn prison estate transformation programme, which aims to tackle overcrowding in cells by creating 10,000 new jail spaces by 2020.

In the planning statement, the applicant says: “The proposed new prison will provide greater opportunity for offenders from the region to be held closer to their home areas, which is an important factor in reducing re-offending rates. Moreover, the investment in a new prison will provide a significant boost to the local economy.

“The decision to promote a new prison at Full Sutton is based on a national priority of promoting modernisation and efficiency in the operational prison estate.“The decision to provide new space in the region is driven by strategic needs for Category C, Adult Male capacity, and the benefits that would arise in terms of offender rehabilitation of providing prison places on the application site.”

The existing HMP Full Sutton provides the highest level of security and houses the most dangerous category A and B prisoners. It was built in 1987 and, as of March 2018, has an operational capacity of 558 adult male prisoners.

The new facility would hold Category C male prisoners - those not trusted to be in an open prison but are considered unlikely to try to escape.

The applicant adds: “The majority of changes are driven by the increase in capacity, although others arise from the MoJ having refined its thinking on the design of buildings to be delivered in new developments since 2017. Nonetheless, there are many similarities between the Proposed Site Layout submitted in 2017 and that submitted in support of the 2018 proposals.

“The anticipated heights of the buildings have reduced from the assumptions made in 2017. The current indicative building heights are all within the maximum indicated for each building at the time of the 2017 OPA, and some are substantially lower. This is balanced by the inclusion of the two additional house blocks.”

Two public exhibition days were held in November, with more than 100 people attending events in both Full Sutton and nearby Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Full Sutton and Skirpenbeck Parish Council held an extraordinary meeting during the same month, which was well attended by parishioners and representatives from neighbouring communities and councils.

In a statement, the parish council said: “Within the meeting it was made clear that there was a unanimous mandate to start to start to formulate an objection to the proposal, as well as a continued objection to the outline planning permission already granted for a smaller version of the prison.

“Full Sutton and Skirpenbeck Parish Council are currently formulating a plan and an initial detailed statement to East Riding Council, MOJ, Ministers and the local MP Sir Greg Knight.”

The application can viewed at https://newplanningaccess.eastriding.gov.uk/newplanningaccess/PLAN/18/04105/STOUT

East Riding Council’s planning committee is expected to consider the application in March. If it is approved, the MoJ will then submit a full planning application.