'This sounds mad but...' - Kelly calls for a prison for Waterford
The idea of a prison was raised at the May metro meeting.
A local Councillor had an interesting suggestion at a recent Council meeting - a prison in Waterford.
Independent Councillor Joe Kelly spoke about the overcrowding across Irish prisons: "There's huge numbers of overcrowding in our prisons around the country. People are forced in and out just trying to make space.
"This sounds mad but I think it's something we should look at; could we, as a City and County Council, have the land that could be made available to build a prison?"
Cllr Kelly added: "They're overcrowded in Limerick, the Midlands. I see no reason why it couldn't be built in Waterford. Thousands of jobs could be created, and I think it would be a very good use of our land."
Director of Services Ned Brennan said that the Department of Justice have a strategic plan for prisons, but it did not include building a prison in the region.
