Earlier this year, the Labour Government announced that a new prison would be built on the site of the old Friction Dynamex factory in Caernarfon.It was said that this would create 1000 jobs, pump £17 million into the local economy and help to fill a considerable shortfall in prison places in Wales.
However, last Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice announced that the factory site was unsuitable for a prison development, allegedly due to land contamination issues, and that it was now looking for other suitable sites in Wales.
The loss of such a major project is a bodyblow to the local economy and one has to wonder what on earth is going on when a government department changes its mind so quickly on such a crucial issue without any proper explanation.
Certainly, there is a clear case for a prison in the region, given that the Ministry of Justice itself has estimated there is a shortage in North Wales of around 800 places.
However, last Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice announced that the factory site was unsuitable for a prison development, allegedly due to land contamination issues, and that it was now looking for other suitable sites in Wales.
The loss of such a major project is a bodyblow to the local economy and one has to wonder what on earth is going on when a government department changes its mind so quickly on such a crucial issue without any proper explanation.
Certainly, there is a clear case for a prison in the region, given that the Ministry of Justice itself has estimated there is a shortage in North Wales of around 800 places.
The question is whether the site fulfilled the criteria set down by the Ministry for Justice which includes the following factors: be an absolute minimum of fifteen acres; close to or within large conurbations; within one hour of key courts in the region; have reasonable access to public transport and to major roads; and preferably be located on a brownfield site where any contamination should be manageable.
Therefore, if the estimated cost of £24 million for decontaminating the land was the main barrier for cancelling this project in Caernarfon, then you have to wonder why on earth this wasn’t considered at the time of the original announcement in February, as everyone knows that such an industrial site would need considerable amounts of remediation work to make it suitable for any other use?
Indeed, David Jones, the MP for Clwyd West, asked in the House of Commons whether any account had been taken of the cost of remediation of asbestos contamination when selecting the Dynamex site as the preferred location for a new prison in Wales. The response was that the Ministry of Justice was aware that the site would attract such costs.
Given this, you have to start wondering whether this is a political decision rather than one made on the grounds of unsuitability, especially when Peter Hain waded in with the suggestion the prison should now be sited on Anglesey, one of the Labour Party's main marginals.
There is undoubtedly an economic case for such a decision which could benefit the poorest county in the UK but it would be the wrong decision to deal with the issue of prison location.
Therefore, if the estimated cost of £24 million for decontaminating the land was the main barrier for cancelling this project in Caernarfon, then you have to wonder why on earth this wasn’t considered at the time of the original announcement in February, as everyone knows that such an industrial site would need considerable amounts of remediation work to make it suitable for any other use?
Indeed, David Jones, the MP for Clwyd West, asked in the House of Commons whether any account had been taken of the cost of remediation of asbestos contamination when selecting the Dynamex site as the preferred location for a new prison in Wales. The response was that the Ministry of Justice was aware that the site would attract such costs.
Given this, you have to start wondering whether this is a political decision rather than one made on the grounds of unsuitability, especially when Peter Hain waded in with the suggestion the prison should now be sited on Anglesey, one of the Labour Party's main marginals.
There is undoubtedly an economic case for such a decision which could benefit the poorest county in the UK but it would be the wrong decision to deal with the issue of prison location.
Instead, as this column pointed out a couple of weeks ago, the Secretary of State for Wales should lobby the Assembly Government to provide special status for the island to support its future development.
Of course, perhaps the wrong location was chosen in the first place. As the North Wales Probation Board and the North Wales Criminal Justice Boards indicated last year, the best location for a new North Wales prison would probably be somewhere along the A55 in either Conwy or Denbighshire.
This could provide the optimum solution for a central facility within an hour of both Crown Courts at Mold and Caernarfon and the majority of Magistrates Courts in the region. Indeed, serious consideration should be given to redundant industrial sites such as the Indesit factory in Bodelwyddan, where 320 jobs were lost when the company closed recently.
The case for a North Wales prison is unequivocal and the current situation is totally unacceptable but any decision has to be right for the needs of the prison system and not for any political expediency eight months before a general election.
Of course, perhaps the wrong location was chosen in the first place. As the North Wales Probation Board and the North Wales Criminal Justice Boards indicated last year, the best location for a new North Wales prison would probably be somewhere along the A55 in either Conwy or Denbighshire.
This could provide the optimum solution for a central facility within an hour of both Crown Courts at Mold and Caernarfon and the majority of Magistrates Courts in the region. Indeed, serious consideration should be given to redundant industrial sites such as the Indesit factory in Bodelwyddan, where 320 jobs were lost when the company closed recently.
The case for a North Wales prison is unequivocal and the current situation is totally unacceptable but any decision has to be right for the needs of the prison system and not for any political expediency eight months before a general election.
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