Jail noise problem is 'affecting the mental health of neighbours'

Residents living near HMP Stirling have “given up” believing noise issues will be addressed, says a local MSP, with some even going as far as to sell their homes.

- KAIYA MARJORIBANKS

An inspection, led by HM Chief Inspector for Prisons in Scotland Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, last year praised both the design and commitment of staff, but urged prison chiefs to reconsider the layout of the prison’s Separation and Reintegration Unit (SRU).

The location of the unit so close to nearby homes, including those on the Forth Park estate, has caused regular complaints over noise levels from the prison - with some locals subjected to “incessant” noise and some children forced to wear noise-cancelling headphones to sleep.

But at a recent portfolio questions session at Holyrood, Green Mid Scotland and Fife regional MSP Mark Ruskell said residents had reported the issue was only getting worse instead of better.

And he asked the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Angela Constance, for an update on the timescale for adapting the prison to address the ongoing noise complaints.

“I absolutely welcome the work that SPS staff do at HMP Stirling,” said Mr Ruskell. “That is not in question at all.

“But the quality of the building absolutely is in question as there has to be an absolute cut in that noise disturbance.