7 November 2014
In a strong letter to Chris Grayling, Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice, Waveney MP Peter Aldous has set out his concerns regarding the work being undertaken to prepare the former the Blundeston Prison site for an early sale.  
 
Following the closure of HMP Blundeston last December, agents Jones Lang LaSalle have been preparing the property for marketing. This work has included liaising with the local planning authority, Waveney District Council, with the objective of issuing a Planning Information Document that will guide prospective purchasers on the type and nature of redevelopment that will be acceptable.
 
Waveney District Council have just received the draft document from Jones Lang LaSalle. Mr. Aldous expresses his disappointment with this document, which he says in its current form will not help achieve an early sale of the property for uses that will be acceptable to the local community. 
 
Mr. Aldous says: “The document in its current form promotes a form of development which is unacceptable to the local planning authority and which is highly unlikely to obtain planning approval. Instead it should be encouraging interest from both these parties who could be looking to occupy parts of the site themselves and those developers prepared to work with the local community to secure an acceptable form of redevelopment. Moreover, it does not help the government in achieving their objective of securing best value from the sale of the site.”
 
Mr. Aldous points out that the closure of HMP Blundeston was a major blow to both those who worked there and to the local community. He states that the sale of its property and its future presents an opportunity to leave a positive legacy for Blundeston and the area north of Lowestoft. If marketing proceeds with the Planning Information Document in its current form, there is a danger that this opportunity will be lost.
 
The full letter is available on the link below.