CONCERNED residents have launched a campaign against the plans to build a prison near a large Inverness suburb, which is currently home to hundreds of young families.

HMP Highland is planning to replace 112-year-old Inverness Prison, one of the smallest and oldest jails in Scotland, and has earmarked a site at Milton of Leys for the new site.

But those living nearby have called for a rethink, saying that it would be a blot on the landscape and is too close to the local primary school.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) proposes having a family help hub and community integration facility for prisoners constructed as part of the new “fit-for-purpose” prison, which would cost more than £60 million to build.
But Steve Gordon, of the Campaign group Highlands Against the Proposed Prison Location (HAPPL), said that hundreds of people opposed the plan, which has also been backed by thousands online.

He said: “This site is totally unsuitable. It is the gateway to the community and is near the Milton of Leys Primary school.

“There were originally three sites and Milton of Leys was described in the Highland Council’s local plan as being unsuitable for use as the location of a new prison.

“We feel that the SPS are riding roughshod over both residents’ wishes and what has been set out by the local authority.”

Mr Gordon added: “This is not nimbyism. We recognise the need to replace the existing prison in Inverness and would hope that there can be some agreement with the SPS. But this is simply the wrong site.”

Among those opposed to the plan is John Kirk, former depute rector at Millburn Academy, the secondary school for pupils from the Milton of Leys area, who penned an open letter in the wake of a public consultation meeting earlier this month.

He said: “I listened to what some of the residents with young children were saying about the implication of this proposal on them and their families.
“The expression of such worry, stress and anxiety by the parents, coupled with what they were saying about how their children were feeling about this proposed development really upsets me.

“The experience of being at that meeting left me with a feeling that this was wrong, a feeling that an injustice was already taking place and the ones who were suffering most from this injustice was the children.”

He added: “The children did not ask for this stressful situation to arise in their lives, but I believe they are the ones who are suffering and who stand to lose most.”

SPS announced about seven years ago that it planned to build a new prison in Inverness, and began a search for a suitable site.

It had been in discussion with landowner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) about constructing the jail at another site.

HIE said the plan was given serious consideration but it did not have “a strong strategic fit” with its vision.

The 103-person capacity Inverness Prison has had problems with overcrowding and the SPS said there was no room to expand the site to fit more prisoners.

Tom Fox, of the SPS, said that the Milton of Leys site, close to the A9, was among several which had been considered.

He stressed that the development was in its very early stages, saying: “We will listen to the residents’ concerns and will be reflecting upon them.”