Dorset: Plans for extra places at Verne Prison

New prison places will be created in Dorset as part of plans to increase capacity.

Extra 40 cells expected to be used only for five years will be built on the Verne Prison site on Portland.

The proposals are part of a national strategy to add 1,000 temporary cells to the prison estate while permanent ones are constructed.

The plans, put forward by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), have been approved by Dorset Council.

The cells on the Verne Prison site will be built on an existing sports pitch to the southern side of the Citadel.

A new multi-use games area will instead be built on underused land on the eastern side of the prison.

Dorset Council planning officers concluded the additional cells were "acceptable and appropriate".

The MoJ said the plans would make a "small yet valuable contribution" to short-term needs while permanent facilities were developed across the country.

It previously said the prison population was forecast to rise significantly, reaching nearly 100,000 by 2030, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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