PRISON bosses claim their controversial new jail will mean more open spaces for surrounding residents.

Jail bosses have handed over almost half of the power station site at Agecroft to create a new leisure facility for the nearby community.

A long-running bitter campaign failed to halt plans for the 800-bed category B prison at Salford. Now UK Detention Services, who are in charge of the project, claim the plans will benefit nearby residents who opposed the plans.

The company claim the prison will only cover 60 percent of the available land and the rest has been handed over to Salford to provide a new green amenity.

Under the latest proposals, visitors will be able to stroll in parkland surrounding the jail and enjoy an improved walkway alongside the River Irwell and a wetlands area nearby.

UKDS also claim the jail will boost the surrounding economy and create about 300 jobs for local people.

And prison bosses hope they can create partnerships with local groups to provide services in the prison when it opens in October next year.

Operations Director Mike Adams said: "While a prison is a community in its own right, it cannot operate wholly in isolation from the wider community in which it is based. To do so, would be detrimental to its purpose.

"Therefore, we will be actively seeking ways in which the local communities may participate in the prison's sporting, cultural, professional and social activities."

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