Mountjoy Prison will be turned into a village complex housing several thousand people under plans for the site announced yesterday by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, writes Stephen Collins, Political Correspondent
The Minister also provided details about his plans for a new prison on a 150-acre site at Thornton Hall, north Co Dublin, to replace Mountjoy.
He confirmed that the Central Mental Hospital would move from its location in Dundrum to the new site.
"For decades the lack of space and the poor physical infrastructure in Mountjoy Prison has impacted severely on the prison system to provide even the most basic services for prison rehabilitation. In the area of work and training, medical facilities and education, the building is simply not fit for purpose," said Mr McDowell.
"Those who object to the closure of Mountjoy Prison cannot at the same time expect the dedicated staff who work in our prisons to deliver a 21st century model of correctional excellence in a 19th century physical environment."
He said his concerns about the inadequacy of Mountjoy and the need for change were shared by many, including members of the Irish Prison Service interim board, the Inspector of Prisons and the Council of Europe.
"The Government's decision to vacate Mountjoy and create a new prison complex allows us to grasp a unique opportunity to reinvent the existing site as a new and vibrant place to live and work in the Dublin of the 21st century.
"We want to take this opportunity to engage with Dublin City Council to create a new village for Dublin which will allow families to live and work in the centre of the city in a sustainable way," said Mr McDowell.
He added that the Mountjoy regeneration project would be carried out under the direction of the Office of Public Works, with a design team headed by one of the country's foremost architectural firms, Heneghan Peng.
"I look forward to seeing the inventive and inspiring solutions which they will propose for the historic structures to be retained on the site and the relationship to be formed with the adjoining canal and streets.
"When one thinks of the redevelopment proposals for Grangegorman, the Mater, Dalymount Park, Phibsboro, as well as Mountjoy itself, it is no exaggeration to say that in a few years time this part of Dublin will be transformed.
"Our challenge is to ensure that Mountjoy will transcend its myths and memories and become a best-practice example of urban development and a credit to Dublin city," said Mr McDowell.
Shi-Fu Peng, the design team leader, said it was important to recognise that Dublin was a city of villages, and the new Mountjoy village would contribute to that urban fabric.
He added that the canal as a new public green space would play an important part in the design.
Dealing with the issue of the new prison, Mr McDowell said that over the past few months the Prison Service and its technical advisers had been working hard on developing the master plan and outline design of the new facilities at Thornton Hall.
"The new prison will be driven by innovation, with a unique layout incorporating the latest technology, thus generating savings in operating costs.
The new prison complex will have a range of institutions, with differing security levels and regimes all within a secure perimeter. There will also be room on the site for running tracks, football pitches so that prisoners can have physical exercise.
"The development will be sensitive to the local environment, and every effort will be made to minimise the visual impact of the development on the local community. A major boundary planting and landscaping scheme has been completed and when this matures it will substantially reduce the visual impact."
During the press conference at the Department of Justice there was a small protest outside by local residents objecting to the Thornton Hall development.