The leader of the Isle of Wight Council has explained why further negotiations have been agreed over the Parkhurst prison estate’s infrastructure with only 2 weeks to go until the deadline.
It follows a meeting of the council’s cabinet where members changed officers’ recommendations.
An offer from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been made to the Isle of Wight Council for the local authority to take over part of the estate’s infrastructure for an unknown fee. The proposal was discussed in private session of the council’s cabinet last week, due to confidential financial calculations and land belonging to individual parties.
Published minutes of the meeting say after a lengthy discussion, members wanted further confirmation about how the most significant risks would be mitigated. The recommendation from officers was changed from accepting the MoJ’s terms to ‘undertaking further negotiations with the government body, with a view to acquire the relevant land on acceptable terms.’
Explaining the cabinet’s decision, Councillor Dave Stewart said council officers had been continuing discussions with the MoJ following the recommendation, which is allowing them to explore all opportunities. He said the ultimate ambition for the council is to also acquire the Camp Hill site, which will enable housing to be built on the former prison but more ‘due diligence’ was needed for the best outcome.
Cllr Stewart said:
“On one hand [the deal] would be very good for us, as part of our progression to Camp Hill. The fact we are engaged with the MoJ on the next step is good… we want to build up a positive dialogue with them on this and the wider picture.
Article continues below this advertisement “On the other hand we know we must not overstep the mark. We are financially very tight — we have done well but we are not a rich council and the MoJ needs to appreciate our financial resources are limited.
“I am interested in this, not just financially but also the value for the community but we have also got to manage expectation as well … sometimes we get caught out promising the world and we cannot deliver.”
In the officers’ report, concern was raised about ongoing maintenance costs which the MoJ would not pay for — the one-off payment would only address the immediate disrepair. The council would, if it took on the land, need to the work out how to fund future work as the estate cannot be included in the Highways PFI contract.
Due to the non-standard construction of the roads they cannot be brought up to adoptable standard — to do so would need total reconstruction, which is not feasible in the MoJ’s offer.
Parkhurst Councillor Andrew Garratt said residents were cautiously optimistic as deals have been offered, and not, materialised before. With the prison estates facing almost 40 years of neglect, however, residents would like to see work happen. He said:
“I hope no one will let this once in a generation offer slip through their fingers for the sake of one or two issues that can be resolved by the council in the future.”
A deadline of 31st March for the transfer of land and monies was set by the MoJ.
The final decision will be made by the council’s directors of regeneration and finance along with the appropriate cabinet members.
