TORFAEN COUNCIL leader Bob Wellington said the site is not appropriate for a development “of this nature”.

He added: “This is an area of dense housing right in the middle of Cwmbran. I have made my views clear to the ministry on this issue before, and will continue to voice the concerns of local residents.”

Lynne Neagle, Torfaen AM, says the proposal is “inappropriate in the extreme.”

She says: "Siting a prison in such a densely populated area is a bad idea, plain and simple. There are numerous other, more appropriate sites in South East Wales in need of economic redevelopment which would not impact on existing communities as the St Dials proposal clearly would."

St Dials councillor Elizabeth Haynes said: “The site is totally inappropriate for a prison, it being in the middle of a residential area, within 25 meters of nursing home and next to a doctor's surgery.

“Its poorly served by public transport, and there are other suitable sites."

THE CWMBRAN former college is already owned by the Ministry of Justice, and is located within their original search area of the M4 corridor.

The ministry describes it as a “very good site”, saying it provides good access to the courts and the main centres of population and good road and rail links from Newport and Cardiff.

Covering 39 acres, the ministry adds it would be large enough for a prison of 1500 places.

The former Ferodo site in Caernarfon is also noted as a good site with a good location, but can only accommodate a 600-800 place prison.