Sydney’s new mega-jail at Wollondilly will be the size of Byron Bay: Long Bay to close down

EXCLUSIVE: The biggest in Australia will be built in south-west Sydney - and Long Bay shut - as the Baird government looks to solve the overcrowding crisis.

The government will close down Long Bay Jail at Malabar and sell off its prime seafront land / Picture: Craig Wilson

• OVERCROWDED: JAILERS FORCED TO ‘STACK’ INMATES
• PRISONER NUMBERS PUSH JAILS TO BREAKING POINT
• GOVERNMENT SCRAPS PLAN TO REOPEN PARRA JAIL

A VAST jail — the biggest in Australia — will be built in southwest Sydney to house up to 5000 prisoners, as the Baird government looks to solve the prison overcrowding crisis.

The jail will have the same population as the town of Byron Bay. And when it is completed, the government will close down Long Bay Jail at Malabar and sell off its prime seafront land.

Corrective Services Minister David Elliott yesterday bowed to Premier Mike Baird and dumped plans to temporarily reopen Parramatta Jail in a bid to deal with the record state prison population of 12,600, partly caused by tougher bail laws. The Corrective Services Department had been hoping Parramatta jail could be reopened for two years to house 300 prisoners, after an estimated $30 million was spent on refurbishment.

A tower guard keeps watch inside the Long Bay Correctional Complex in Malabar.

But Planning Minister Rob Stokes and Parramatta MP Geoff Lee had opposed the move, with 3000 apartments set to be developed near the site and real estate developers expected to baulk at the prospect of building near a jail.

There were fears a Parramatta redevelopment could interfere with the Parramatta Light Rail and an extension of Westmead Hospital.

With no prospect of the reopening of the Parramatta facility, Mr Elliott told The Daily Telegraph he plans to press ahead with a plan for a mega-jail in Sydney’s southwest — with three sites identified in the Wollondilly area.

“Long Bay is a prime bit of real estate with close access to the eastern beaches, the airport and the city,” Mr Elliott said. “I’ve long held the view that prisoners should not have the enjoyment of a seaside setting.”

The Daily Telegraph understands the government has identified three possible sites in the Wollondilly area for the new town-sized jail.

The prison would be privately built and run in order to keep down costs for the government.

This is on top of plans for a privately built and run jail at Grafton, which the government expects will be able to house 1700 prisoners, and set to be built by 2019.

The biggest prison in Australia at the moment is thought to be the privately run Acacia facility in Perth, which houses 1426 prisoners.

The Corrective Services Department had been hoping Parramatta jail could be reopened for two years to house 300 prisoners, after an estimated $30 million was spent on refurbishment / Picture: Adam Taylor

Where the mega-jail will be built.

Long Bay has a prisoner population of just 1200.

The Daily Telegraph revealed last week that the government was planning to cram an extra 742 prisoners into ­already overcrowded jails by having three to a cell in some prisons, according to a Corrective Service working document.

Former premier Barry O’Farrell closed four jails after the 2011 election, in a cost cutting move.

Prisoners in the yard at Long Bay Correctional Complex at Malabar.

Long Bay Correctional Complex will be closed down.