Start date for prison

THE new Northern Regional Prison will be open by 2025, according to Corrections Minister Elise Archer.

Despite more community opposition to the newly revealed site of the prison, Ms Archer yesterday released a timeline for the build of the new facility, which will now be 5km from Westbury.

She said due diligence on the new site would be completed next month.

DOUBLING down on her declaration the Government has “every intention” of building a Northern Regional Prison at a newly revealed site, Corrections Minister Elise Archer yesterday released a timeline for the build.

Ms Archer said the Government was committed to delivering the project in an effective and timely manner “following community consultation”.

She said “due diligence” on the new crown land site would be completed next month and stage one of the prison would be open by 2025.

The Government announced last week it would abandon its original preferred prison site at an industrial precinct on Birralee Rd, 2km from Westbury, after receiving community feedback, and would instead build at a site 5km from the centre of Westbury.

Community group Westbury Residents Against the Prison, Labor and the Greens have argued the Government’s community consultation around the prison development and previous preferred site was questionable and lacking, and that the proposed location was inappropriate.

WRAP president Linda Poulton said on Monday the group would continue to fight the maximum-security prison development.

She said the Government announcing a new site without consulting first was “history repeating itself”.

“It looks like full steam ahead,” she said.