Andrew Carey
CONTRACTS for the development of the new city courthouse adjacent to Limerick Prison were signed this week as the Prison Service confirmed that it is planning a new women’s prison as part of the redevelopment of the Mulgrave Street jail.
The two new construction builds are expected to bring hundreds of jobs over the next two years while boosting the local economy.
The service says that it also wants to put an end to the practice of ‘slopping out’ as it unveiled plans for the construction of a new block replacing the oldest part of the prison, which dates back to the 19th century.
According to Irish Prison Service figures, capacity issues at the jail are a constant problem as the numbers of males and females in custody regularly exceed 103 per cent bed capacity.
It is expected that phase one of the prison redevelopment will begin early in the new year, with the full project completed by 2018.
Referring to the new courthouse, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that the Private Public Partnership (PPP) “represents a substantial investment in the modernisation of our court facilities” adding that it “will provide an important boost to the local economy”
Of the seven new contracts for developments in Limerick as well as Drogheda, Letterkenny and Wexford and the redevelopment of existing courthouses in Cork, Mullingar and Waterford, 700 new jobs are to be created during the period of construction, the Minister outlined.
The National Development Finance Agency has signed the contract with BAM who has been selected as the main contractor for Courts Bundle PPP Project.
