A Titan Prison in Whittle Hall?

Update April 25th

We are delighted that Jack Straw has abandoned his plan to foist a 2,500 strong prison on Warrington. But we remain concerned that there is no sign of a coherent plan as to the future of the site. Unless a coherent plan is developed there will remain a vacuum which will risk other similarly wrongheaded proposals being made. We urge the Council and all Councillors to get behind Omega and to work to ensure the original development is fulfilled. This is even more urgent now that Jack Straw has made his decision public. It is not enough just to protest. Urgent constructive plans are now needed.



Over the past 6 months local Conservatives and other concerned residents have been fighting hard to prevent the Government foisting a mega 5 story prison on the land previously reserved for a business park at Omega. Our view is that the scheme is wrong for the following reasons:

-Titan prisons are not the way to fix the current shortfall in places. New prisons are needed but they should be much smaller and more importantly, located nearer to the communities they serve. This would mean that re-habilitation is more likely to be successful and the risk of re-offending less.

-Warrington is already doing it’s fair share in terms of prisons in the locality. We have 8 separate establishments within 20 miles of the town centre. There has to be a reasonable limit on the number in our vicinity.

-This location is particularly unsuitable. There are several schools and a community centre in close proximity and the surrounding infrastructure is just unsuitable for a development like this.

-Omega itself was anticipated to be a showcase technology and business centre. If this prison proposal goes forward I believe this “Omega Vision” could be undermined.


Please sign our online petition.
And take a look at the residents site.