CONCERNED campaigners have hit out at the Government amid fears controversial plans for two mega-prisons are a "ruse" for other development.

Stop Wethersfield Airfield Prisons (SWAP) has called into question why the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is proceeding with plans for the two prisons at the former RAF Wethersfield base despite documents from the HM Prisons and Probation Service claiming the Wethersfield bid is a "back-up" option.

The documents show sites in York, Market Harborough, Aylesbury and Chorley are preferred over the Wethersfield site, creating a combined 6,366 prisoner places.

However, despite this, the report says the MoJ will “continue to pursue Wethersfield as a back-up site or a suitable site for a future programme".

It says: “This includes proceeding with the development of the outline planning application package for the site.”

SWAP claims the MoJ is trying to secure a precedent for future development.

Chairman Alan MacKenzie said: “This demonstrates that the MoJ is either wasting Braintree District Council and Essex County Council’s time in respect of its prison proposal or is surreptitiously trying to establish that the airfield could be opened up to much larger unplanned development.

“If any one of the three prisons under appeal wins its case, when each of them already has prisons in the vicinity, the MoJ must have no chance of winning a planning application at Wethersfield Airfield where no such infrastructure exists.

“The MoJ does not state that it would be a prison programme - leaving it likely the MoJ will try to obtain planning permission, even if a prison is not required, to effectively open up the site for much larger development.

“SWAP continues its campaign to bring a halt to such a proposal for a huge development in the middle of the beautiful Essex countryside, not least of all because it could open up a can of worms, even for Braintree District Council – who knows what might be proposed eventually – another waste incinerator like at Rivenhall?"

The Government has denied SWAP's claims.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “The MoJ has no plans to develop the site for any other purpose than a prison”.