Plan submitted to show how impact on bats will be managed during building of cells at Welsh prison

Twm Owen – Local democracy reporter

A plan to show how the environmental impact on bats will be managed during the building of new cells at a Welsh prison will be considered by council planners.

The plan at Prescoed Prison was a condition of planning permission, granted in April 2024, for the 80 ‘rapid deployment cells’ within its grounds near Usk.

Details of other environmental impact plans and biodiversity measures, which were also required, have also been provided and are being considered by has been provided Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department.

Cells

The same permission also gave retrospective approval for 40 Covid isolation cells put in place at the start of the pandemic, in April 2020, without planning permission.

HMP Prescoed is a Category D open prison that houses men and young offenders and the cells that are to be built will replace 40 beds in what was known as the Lester Unit that was demolished in 2022 after it failed a fire safety inspection following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The expansion takes the prison’s capacity from 250 to 330 and when the application was approved the prison said it would take on 11 new members of staff.