THE PROSPECT of a town’s population growing by 1,500 overnight is sure to cause concern to most residents, not least if those new residents are convicted criminals.

But if the proposed prison gets the go ahead on the site of the Runwell Hospital that could be the reality for Runwell and Wickford.

Leaflets have been sent out to 10,000 homes and a series of exhibitions and public meetings begins next week to give residents a chance to view and comment on the first stage of plans before they are submitted to Chelmsford Borough Council in January.

Senior councillors have spoken out against it and Essex Against Prisons, a group set up in response to the announcement on social networking website Facebook, has 962 members.

But the Ministry for Justice argues the prison, which will be run by a private company, is good news.

Last week justice minister Maria Eagle said the prison would create 800 jobs for local people and generate £17.7 million for the local economy However, Malcolm Buckley, basildon.gov.uk" target="_blank">Basildon Council’s cabinet member for environment and councillor for Wickford Castledon, questioned the claims.

He said: “The amount of money spent by staff in local businesses will be somewhat limited. I would also question how many of those jobs would go to local people.”

The proposed site had been earmarked for 624 homes, a primary school and a doctor’s surgery before the Ministry of Justice announced it would be the site for one of five new prisons across the country back in April.

According to the ministry, Runwell was chosen because there is a large shortfall of prison places in south east England, particularly in Essex, and Runwell was found to best meet the Ministry’s requirements including size, shape, site conditions and accessibility.

If approved by Chelmsford Borough Council, the planning authority for the hospital site, it will house category B and category C prisoners.

Category C prisoners are those who cannot be trusted in open conditions, but are not judged to have the resources or will to make a determined escape attempt.

Category B prisoners are those for whom the very highest security is not necessary, but for whom escape must be made very difficult.

Mr Buckley said: “I am concerned about security. Clare House, a secure mental health unit in Bowers Gifford has had a number of high profile escapes.

“We have to have concern for the security of the public.”

The Ministry of Justice insists the prison, which will be a maximum of three storeys high and accessed from Runwell Road, will have a secure perimeter.

Although it will be run by a private company – seven firms including G4S and Serco are bidding for the chance to design, build and run the prison – it will be subject to the same regular inspections by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons as a state-run prison.

A Ministry of Justice controller will be placed at the prison to make sure it is running according to the agreed contract and it will be overseen by an independent monitoring board made up of members of the local community.

Retired accountant Rod Salmon, 67, of Broomfield Close, Chelmsford, is a member of the monitoring board at Bullwood Hall prison and says escapes are rare.

He said: “There are very few prisoner escapes. Bullwood Hall has never had an escape.

“From a residents point of view I don’t think they are really a problem as most prisons are self-contained. It doesn’t really have an adverse impact.”

Runwell Hospital is due to close later this year. Staff and patients will moving into the nearby £28million Brockfield House.