Protesters and Council at loggerheads over controversial Northern Regional Prison meeting

Meander Valley Council and residents against the controversial Northern Regional Prison development are at loggerheads over a public meeting scheduled for next month. LATEST >>

OPPONENTS of the Northern Regional Prison proposal have welcomed the decision by the Meander Valley Council to hold a public meeting on the development after what they say has been a lack a transparency from council.

A petition, with more than 800 signatures, calling for the public meeting was lodged with council by Anne-Marie Loader from the Westbury Region Against the Prison (WRAP) group, which opposes having the development in the local municipality.

About 20 community members, many with homemade signs, attended the council meeting on Tuesday.

“The presence of us here tonight shows that we are vehemently opposed to this proposal,” Ms Loader said.

There were angry outcries outside the meeting room after it was advised the doors of the room would be closed and only seven people who had pre-registered would allowed in the public gallery along with the five people making representations due to Covid restrictions and issues with sound for those attending the meeting online.

Speaking with the group, general manager John Jordan said he would not tolerate abuse of his staff.

Community members who attended Meander Valley Council meeting calling for public meeting on Northern Regional Prison. Picture: Rosemary Murphy

After consulting Mayor Wayne Johnston, Mr Jordan said the door would be allowed to remain open as long as those in the area were quiet.

Mr Jordan said preliminary work had been undertaken to look at potential venues for the meeting, with August 11 at 5.30pm suggested as the date for it to be held and council will invite government representatives to attend.

Councillors also in voted in favour of an amendment put forward by Councillor Tanya King to broaden the scope of the meeting from focusing on the proposed site on Birralee Rd at Brushy Rivulet to encompass the Meander Valley municipality, with concerns previously raised that the focus would be too narrow if contained to just the one site.

“Despite the actions and some of the conduct today, by listening to the people that have taken the time out of their lives to come and make their views felt and I don’t think it’s a big undertaking to change the wording of that item,” Cr King said.

The proposed prison site is about 5.2km from Westbury and was chosen following community backlash over the initial site selected for the 270 bed prison which was to be 2km from the town.

Development applications related to the proposal are not expected to be lodged with council until next year.

The government has said it will deliver more than 1000 jobs and provide an economic boost of more than $500m.

Council to vote on meeting over controversial prison development

MEANDER VALLEY councillors are set to vote on whether to hold a public meeting on the controversial Northern Regional Prison development.

A petition with more than 1000 signatures was lodged with the council by Anne-Maree Loader from the Westbury Region Against the Prison (WRAP) group, with 809 considered valid by council.

WRAP was formed after the government announced its previous preferred prison site, which was closer to the town of Westbury, and is continuing to oppose a prison development in the area.

Members of the Westbury Region Against the Prison group at the proposed site where geotechnical drilling has began. Picture: Westbury Region Against the Prison

WRAP spokeswoman Linda Poulton said a petition to hold a public meeting was knocked back last year on a “technicality” and it was crucial the community was informed.

“We have never had the council consult the taxpayers living within the municipality on whether they want the Northern Regional Prison development,”

“The council must, in inviting the proposal into the community, present themselves and how they see it will benefit the community,” she said.

Ms Poulton said the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting showed the council was trying to narrow the discussion at the public meeting to only around current site.

Westbury prison proposed site where geotechnical drilling has began. Picture: Westbury Region Against the Prison

“It’s not what petition asks for; we are concerned about the Northern Regional Prison as a concept and they are trying to narrow down the discussion to avoid scrutiny,” she said.

The proposed site for the prison is on Crown land on Birralee Rd at Brushy Rivulet about 5.2km from the Westbury.

Development applications relating to the proposal are expected to be lodged in 2022.

Members of the WRAP group said last week that had been advised by the project director for the Northern Regional Prison that the proposal was being referred to Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act.

In the council agenda it notes that council met separately with WRAP and pro-prison representatives on 25 February 2020, and the mayor and general manager met with the representatives from Concerned Residents Opposed to the Westbury Prison Site on July 6 this year.

The public meeting has been recommended and will be held within 30 days if approved at Tuesday afternoon’s meeting.