Prison chiefs have been forced to spend more than £74,000 on the ageing HMP Inverness – while also continuing to fund a multi-million-pound replacement project.
The Scottish Prison Service has invested more than £74,000 to ensure HM Prison Inverness remains “fit for purpose” following continued delays in securing new premises.
Motherwell based contractors Starfish 9 Ltd have been carrying out works on four areas of the prison’s roof to ensure the crown based facility remains “fit for purpose” for residing inmates.
A sum of £74,009.50 was earmarked by SPS officials to fund the works which commenced onsite in April.
The project was launched in an effort to maintain standards at the city’s Porterfield Prison after prison chiefs admitted they had “no money” to fund a new £92million jail for the north.
Tom Fox, head of corporate affairs said the works were essential in maintaining the functionality of the prison until the city’s new premises becomes available.
He said: “We have to ensure that the prison we are using at the moment continues to be fit for purpose as we still have to maintain the existing property for those who are curretly located there.”
New Inverness prison long overdue
Highland councillors formally approved plans for a new “state of the art” prison in 2017 on vacant grounds to the rear of Inverness Retail Park, just off the A96.
The plans were approved following earlier objections by campaigners in Milton of Leys opposing plans to build the facility near their homes.
One constructed, the new Inverness prison will replace the existing 116-year-old facility in the city’s crown area.
Construction of the new prison is yet to get off the ground due to issues in securing funds to finance the project.
In 2019, bosses at the Scottish Prison Service suspended the project after they privately admitted they had “no money” to finance the venture.
Memos obtained by The Press and Journal at the time unveiled the probability of further delays as SPS was informed there would be no cash available for construction of the prison until at least 2021.
Prison officials remain hopeful construction of the 200-inmate complex will commence this year, becoming the main prison for the Highlands and islands and Moray areas.
New Justice Centre
Upon completion, the prison will work in sync with the new Inverness Justice Centre.
Doors to the two-storey facility on Longman Road formally opened in March last year, as lockdown came into affect across the country, transferring services away from Inverness Castle.
The £23 million centre, which is the first of its kind in Scotland, has already made its mark hosting the first virtual summary trial in Scotland.
The centre, constructed by contractors Robertson, was created to transform the way justice is delivered in the Highlands by bringing several services together under one roof.
Citizens Advice Bureau, Highland Council’s criminal justice social work, NHS Highland and Police Scotland are just some of the services making use of the facility.