Second phase of Castlerea Prison development

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan visited Castlerea Prison today to turn the sod on the second phase of the Castlerea Grove Housing Development Project. Construction of the project is underway which will deliver 126 spaces across 21 new housing units.

Phase One project, which has been completed within 12 months, will deliver 24 additional prison spaces and new staff offices. Overall the project will increase the capacity of the Castlerea prison by 150 spaces.

Minister O'Callaghan secured an exemption from Stage 1 of the Infrastructure Guidelines to ensure Phase 2 of the development starts immediately. The Grove Phase 2 is one of six large-scale projects in the Accelerated Capital Delivery Programme to bypass Stage 1 approval which will expedite delivery by 12 to 18 months. The total cost for the project is €28.08 million.

The priority project supports the Government's National Development Plan to increase capital investment to address prison overcrowding and modernise the prison estate in line with population growth.

In addition, there is a separate contract for 66 additional cell spaces within Castlerea’s main prison, representing a total increase of 216 spaces across the prison.