WE’RE TAKING LAND FOR JAIL
THE State Government will seize land in Lara to make way for its $689.5 million prison expansion, with negotiations with a landowner appearing to have failed.
A spokeswoman for Corrections Minister Gayle Tierney last night revealed the Government had handed compulsory acquisition notices to a Lara landowner for two unoccupied plots of land to the south of the existing Lara Prison Precinct, to accommodate a new 700bed maximum security facility.
It is understood the landowner will now be offered compensation in line with the land’s market value as assessed by an independent property valuer.
The owner may be in for a massive windfall nonetheless, with CoreLogic data showing one 52.27ha plot of land directly to the south of the prison was purchased for just $425,000 in 2007 — despite being listed for $550,000 at the time.
A 63ha plot of unoccupied land in Lara sold for more than $4 million last month.
Ms Tierney yesterday declined to share details around what compensation would be offered to the land owner, or why the land had to be compulsorily acquired.
The State Government launched negotiations with a “small number” of Lara property owners in March, but refused to provide detail on exact numbers or how much land would be needed.
Ms Tierney welcomed the latest step forward in the expansion of the prison.
“Our tough new sentencing laws and record investment in police means serious offenders will spend more time behind bars — by building this new prison, we’re making sure our corrections system is ready,” Ms Tierney said.
“This new prison will not only keep our community safe — it will create hundreds of local jobs, during construction and into the future once it’s up and running.
“We will consult with the community at every stage of this process — not only will this new prison help keep our community safe it will create hundreds of local jobs, during construction and into the future once it’s up and running.”
The State Government announced its planned prison expansion in January to meet the increasing demands of swelling prisoner numbers across Victoria.
The 2018-19 State Budget included $689.5 million for the project.
Community members have been invited to express interest to join the Community Advisory Group to provide input into the planning and construction of the prison, at engage.vic.gov.au/laraprison.
The Government will host a two-hour community information session on Wednesday, July 18 from 5.30pm at the Lara Community Centre.