New valuation for stalled Thornton Hall prison site

A computer-generated image of the proposed prison on the Thornton Hall site in north Dublin. Picture: Justice.ie

The State is to get a new valuation on a 150-acre site that was originally earmarked for a €525m prison in an effort to determine its future use.

Thornton Hall in north Dublin was purchased in the mid-2000s to be the location for a large-scale prison to replace Mountjoy. However, despite more than €50m being spent on purchasing and servicing the site, a brick has never been laid, and recent valuations suggested the site was worth a fraction of its purchase price.

In January 2005, the then-government bought the 150-acre site at Thornton for €29.9m. The Department of Justice subsequently purchased an additional 14.7 acres for €2.1m, bringing the site bill to €32m. Up to €18m more has been spent on servicing the site.

However, a new valuation is expected to be received by the Prison Service “shortly”, according to a parliamentary response by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

Ms McEntee had been asked by Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy about her plans for the site.

Ms McEntee said the site “remains an important strategic State asset with potential future use value” and said a portion of the land could be used for housing through a deal with the Land Development Agency.

As previously advised, the Irish Prison Service is continuing to engage with the Land Development Agency to explore the options for the future development of a portion of the site to maximise its value to the State,” she said.

Despite being mooted as a possible major development through the LDA, the Prison Service said last year that a smaller prison on the site could still be considered.

Ms McEntee said a total of €16,237.63 was spent on the site last year. This included an electricity bill of €7,637.65, €338.15 on gas, €1,581.53 on water, €2,407.90 for security alarm monitoring, and statutory checks of €4,272.40.

Last year, the Irish Examiner revealed that the cost of maintenance in 2020 was six times higher than in the two years previously due to a number of factors, including a €55,000 cost related to “incidents of trespass” which required works, and €86,000 on a newly designed motorised gate.