Fourth prison planned for Isle of Wight

Plans to build a fourth prison on the Isle of Wight were unveiled yesterday. The category C jail would hold 416 inmates in eight two-storey prefabricated blocks and would be built on land behind Parkhurst prison.

If the proposals are accepted, there will be four jails sited within a quarter of a mile area on the outskirts of Newport - the other two are Albany, one of the country's top jails for sex offenders, and category C Camp Hill jail.

The Isle of Wight Council's planning unit confirmed that a consultation document for the proposal had been submitted. Because the plan is from a government department the council does not have the power to block the scheme, but can only make comments on it. The final decision rests with the Home Office.