Maintenance costs on two vacant State properties in Cork exceed €350k in six years

Two vacant State properties in Cork, including the former Cork Prison, have cost more than €350,000 to maintain since 2020.

The Department of Justice owns both the former prison, on Rathmore Rd, and Westview House, on St Patrick’s Hill. The latter has been closed since 2019 and had been used by the Probation Service.

The prison was closed in 2016, and there are plans to replace it with a new building to deal with overcrowding. The new prison would have space for 230 men and 100 women on the site of the former prison, but the current plans deal only with the demolition of the old building.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan has revealed in a parliamentary question that maintenance of the former prison has cost the State €245,353 since 2020, while Westview House has cost it €107,773. Of Westview House, he said: “The Westview House property in Cork city has been largely vacant since 2019, apart from some ad hoc use to conduct remote interviews for international protection. The building had previously been used by the Probation Service, and its future use is under consideration.”

He said that the former Cork Prison site “consists of a number of buildings, including prisoner accommodation blocks, some of which date back to the 19th century, a work and training area, and staff mess”.

He added: “The facility is in a derelict state and unsuitable for use in its current form.”

Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, where both properties are located, said that spending thousands of euro on buildings which are closed up is a waste of resources.

He said: “Westview is in such a good location and it could have so many uses, instead of just being left closed.”

'Just madness'

He also said hat allowing the former Cork Prison to remain idle is “just madness”, adding: “How could anyone justify it? It is the waste of money that really angers people.”

The Irish Prison Service recently said that a tender for the works on the old Cork Prison will be issued later this year, but no decision has been made yet on whether or not to demolish the building.

In May this year, the IPS and Department of Justice posted a formal notice to demolish the old prison in The Glen.

Both the demolition of the old building and the building of a new one have been met with fierce local opposition.

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said in July, after a public consultation on the demolition plans had closed, that 84 submissions from the public were received and that “due consideration will be given to each submission”.