Some eyebrows were raised at the May meeting of Waterford Metropolitan District Council when Independent Councillor Joe Kelly suggested that Waterford should be put forward as a possible location for a new major prison.
Councillor Kelly suggested the council should volunteer Waterford as a site for a new jail saying it would bring an economic boost to the County.
“There’s huge numbers of overcrowding in prisons around our country, there are revolving doors letting people in and out just to try and make space,” said Cllr Kelly.
“This sounds mad but I think it’s something we should look at. Have we land as a Council that could be made available to build a new prison in Waterford?” he asked.
Cllr. Kelly pointed out that there are prisons in Cork, Dublin, Limerick and the midlands.
“I see no reason why a major prison couldn’t be built in Waterford, if we have land available,” Cllr. Kelly said.
“Thousands of jobs are created. Loads of investment into the local community. Loads of people permanently employed in the prison. I think it might be a good use of our land. I don’t know how you designate land for a prison but perhaps our planning section or our economic section, could direct about the actual process about how we put our name out there.
“It’s an unusual one,” he acknowledged. “I never heard it mentioned before but I think it’s a great opportunity to do something with our land.”
In reply to this, a Council Executive said the Department of Justice has a long term view of where prisons should go which does not, as far as he was aware, currently include Waterford.
“My understanding is the Department of Justice has a strategic plan for the development of the Prison sector over the next number of years,” he explained.
“They work to a particular plan and I haven’t seen any mention of a prison in this region. If you want you can do a letter [from yourself] to the Department of Justice or the CEO of the prison service, floating the idea of Waterford,” the council official suggested.
Mayor for the Metropolitan Area Adam Wyse confirmed that the letter to the Department of Justice should come from Councillor Kelly himself, rather than the Council Executive.
MIXED RESPONSES
As might be expected, this unusual suggestion drew a mixture of responses from around the council chamber. While many councillors were amused by the unexpected turn the meeting had taken, some openly disagreed, while a minority, it can be assumed, may be more amenable to the suggestion.
Upon hearing that Waterford was not in the Justice Department’s plans for a new prison, Cllr Seamus Ryan said, “Good!”
The Munster Express spoke to Cllr Ryan after the meeting to get his views.
“I think the comment was thrown out there without any real thought,” he said. “I most certainly would not support it.”
“My point is that there is a lot more than the economic side to think of, there’s the whole social side. I don’t think it is something we should go down the road of here in Waterford. I don’t think there’s a need for it,” Cllr. Ryan added.
Waterford previously had jail in Ballybricken, where the Garda Barracks now stands. The Waterford City Gaol operated until 1939.
AARON KENT Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
