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The country’s biggest steelmaker says it was not aware of plans to build a jail on land it owns at West Dapto before Monday’s shock state government announcement.
BlueScope Steel has told the Mercury it was caught out by the prison proposal, but would be open to offers for the land and would seek top-dollar for it.
Parliamentary secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward revealed on Monday that Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) had shortlisted land in the fast-growing West Dapto area for a jail.
The overall land mass being investigated spans 2.375 square kilometres and has a perimeter of about 8km.
It is bordered by the railway line, West Dapto Road to the north, with its southern border following Darkes and Sheaffes roads.
During Monday’s announcement, Mr Ward said the vacant land was “part of an industrial area and currently owned by BlueScope”.
Asked during a press conference if the steelmaker had been consulted about the plan, and was on board with it, the Liberal MP told journalists: “You’d need to discuss that with [the department of] Justice”.
On Tuesday, a BlueScope spokesman said the company was “not aware of the plans for the prison prior to Monday’s announcement”, but had since met with CSNSW representatives.
“It is well known that the BlueScope-owned land at West Dapto and Kembla Grange – a mix of residential, and commercial and industrial zoned land – is considered non-strategic and surplus to our requirements,” the spokesman said.
“As such, we are open to offers for selling the land at competitive market rates.”
A CSNSW spokeswoman reiterated it was “important to note that these are preliminary investigations only”.
“No decision has been made on this site and all relevant stakeholders are in the process of being advised,” she said. Meanwhile, further details have emerged about the limited consultation between the government and Wollongong City Council about the jail plan.
Council representatives met with CSNSW at 2pm on Friday, but a spokeswoman said the council had received no written correspondence about the government considering a new correctional facility in the area.
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