THE SITE
Ravenhall Prison Project
The site and surrounding correctional facilities are located in a Special Use Zone. Before construction of the prison commenced, the (then) Department of Justice prepared a Correctional Facility Development Plan describing the general design, layout and impacts of the prison development.
A Community Advisory Group was established in 2012 to provide input to the planning process and ensure that the Correctional Facility Development Plan was responsive to key local issues. The Community Advisory Group includes representatives of Melton and Brimbank Councils, government agencies and local residents.
The Correctional Facility Development Plan
The Minister for Planning sought comment from Melton and Brimbank Councils before deciding whether to approve the Plan.
The Correctional Facility Development Plan addresses a wide range of physical, environmental and site planning issues, including:
· the overall layout of buildings, access roads and security fencing
· potential traffic impacts, including during the construction period
· potential impacts on nearby land uses
· environmental considerations, including impacts on native flora and fauna, and ecologically sustainable design
· noise and lighting impacts
· strategies for site remediation
· local community linkages (for example, local job creation)
· vocational training and education
· health and welfare services.
The Correctional Facility Development Plan is publicly available from the Corrections Victoria website at corrections.vic.gov.au (enter ‘Correctional Facility Development Plan’ in the search field on the Home page).
The location
The site of the new prison is located to the west of Deer Park Bypass, in the heart of the existing correctional facility precinct at Ravenhall, in Melbourne’s west.
The site was chosen for a number of reasons:
· It is within a precinct that has a well-established role for correctional facility use, with the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre located to the north of the new prison and the Metropolitan Remand Centre to the south.
· It is surrounded by compatible industrial, open space and transport uses, and is well separated from developing residential neighbourhoods to the east by the Deer Park Bypass and conservation reserves.
· Its location creates access to job opportunities at the new prison for local residents.
· The site is in an urban location with good freeway and road access and public transport, making it possible for visitors and families to access the prison.
The prison
Construction of the new prison commenced in March 2015 and is on track to be completed towards the end of 2017.
The new prison will include a mix of low-rise accommodation, administration, programs, health and mental health facilities, industries and recreation buildings surrounded by a solid perimeter wall.
The facility will include:
• accommodation for mainstream and protection prisoners
• 75 inpatient forensic mental health beds
• a 25-bed ‘Close Supervision Unit’ for a small but highly complex group of prisoners with particularly challenging behaviours
• a self-contained 25-bed unit that can be adapted to cater for prisoners with particular needs, initially providing a residential drug treatment program for younger prisoners.
An office building for a range of Corrections Victoria statewide services will be constructed externally to the prison.
Figure 1: Site diagram