Castle prison could become tourist attraction
HMP LANCASTER Castle is set to close in March after being axed - but could become a tourist attraction with significant private investment, according to the city and county councils.
On Thursday, it was announced by Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, that three prisons, including Lancaster Castle, were to be shut, taking nearly 900 places out of the system.
Lancaster Castle, which employs 300 staff, currently houses the prison, Lancaster Crown Court, and operates small tours for visitors.
But the closure of the prison could enable the ancient castle to be developed into a major tourist attraction.
A joint statement from Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council said: “In 2006 the Lancaster and Morecambe Vision Board, of which both Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council and the private sector are members, launched a consultation on the vision for the future economic prosperity of the district.
“The vision produced as a result of this consultation recognises that Lancaster Castle has the potential to be transformed into a major tourist attraction which could attract significant complimentary private sector investment and that this would be a highly valued development for the historic city of Lancaster.
“Both councils continue to support this vision for Lancaster Castle.”
Closure was first mooted last year, with the Ministry of Justice arguing the prison was both outdated and costly and its closure would allow the castle to be opened up to visitors and tourists as a permanent attraction, but local MP Eric Ollerenshaw said there was “scepticism” about how the prison service will terminate its lease at the castle and how the major work needed to convert the jail into a visitor attraction would be funded.
Speaking in the Commons in October last year, Mr Ollerenshaw said he wanted to broker talks between the Duchy of Lancaster, which owns the castle, the Ministry of Justice, which leases it as a prison, Lancaster council and prison staff to work out a way forward.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “HMP Lancaster Castle will be closed by the end of March 2011.
“A range of options for staff at the establishments due to close are being developed, including redeployment to neighbouring establishments and voluntary exits.
“These options will be discussed individually with every member of staff at the establishments.
Lancaster Castle, which sits on land owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, has been a prison since the 17th century.
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Wednesday 22 February 2012
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
fleety
Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 10:39 PMand Hairydog...you can visit it and have a great tour of the building and find out about it's history...I and many others have lived with it all our lives with no problem, other than it going into the councils hands, have you been asleep for the last 8 years...
fleety
Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 10:35 PMhow are 'we' going to pay for it...the dome has gone so next will be the castle if we can't afford it...at least when it was paid for by the government it was kept...
Hairydog
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 10:26 AMAbout time too. When i moved here 8 years ago i was gobsmacked that such a wonderfull building was being wasted on scum. The first thing i wanted to do when i got here was visit this amazing building and learn its history so you can imagine the shock i had when i discovered it was a prison.
village idiot downunder
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 02:43 AMbet you nothing comes of it, maybe Urban Splash could turn it into apartments?
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