New prison for north Wales site

FACTFILE - Caernarfon LOCATION: A487, Bangor Road, Caernarfon, Gwynedd SITE: Former brake-lining factory made famous by a two-and-a-half year industrial dispute PROPOSAL: Prison for up to 800 inmates SITE OWNER: Developers Bluefield Caernarfon Ltd ARGUMENTS FOR: Will being jobs; North Wales has not got a prison and it will ease travel times for inmates' families and solicitors AGAINST: Possible access difficulties and some environmental issues

A new prison for Wales will be located in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, the Ministry of Justice has decided.

Prisons Minister David Hanson called it an "important announcement for the people of Wales".

The shortlist, announced last August, involved three other locations: Cwmbran, Merthyr Tydfil and Wrexham.

The new jail, to be built on the site of the old Ferodo factory, is designed to address an estimated shortfall of 1,300 prison places in Wales.

"A new prison would help bring considerable economic benefits to this part of Wales as well as providing much needed additional places for us," said Mr Hanson.

Although the site has been selected, the timetable for building the new jail has not yet been determined.

There has been a strong campaign for the prison to be located in north Wales, to make access easier for families and solicitors.

Around 800 adults from the region are estimated at being inmates in jails over in England

The chosen site has more recently been associated with the former Friction Dynamex company, where there was a long-running dispute.

Local MPs and Gwynedd Council had added their support, although there was some local opposition from people worried it would affect tourism.

Gwynedd council leader Councillor Dyfed Edwards called it "excellent news" for the county "at this difficult time for our local economy".

He added: "A prison on this site will provide a huge economic boost for Gwynedd in the medium term and will create hundreds of secure well-paid jobs for local people and an estimated