Super prison group passed site same day it heard of it

A COMMITTEE appointed to decide the location of a new super prison and central mental hospital only heard of the agreed site on the day the decision was made, just a week before Justice Minister Michael McDowell made his announcement.

The committee picked the 150-acre site at Thornton in north Co Dublin following a meeting on January 18. The seven-member group was appointed in July of last year.

The land was bought for just under €30 million, €200,000 an acre.