ACT Northland-based MP Dr Muriel Newman says the Northland Regional Council’s decision to decline resource consent for a new prison on the Ngawha site is a victory for common sense.

“I just hope the Corrections Department now shows some common sense of its own and changes its mind on appealing this decision. It has already spent $1.7 million of taxpayers’ money on buying this inappropriate site. Surely it would make no sense to waste a further several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of taxpayers money on an appeal which is unlikely to succeed.

“The process in which the site was chosen still needs investigating. Due process was not followed. It is quite crazy to even think of building a prison on a geothermal fault line.

“It is misguided to locate a prison next to a geothermal valley which has the potential to become a major tourist attraction for the Northland region.

“In addition it was an outrage that the estimated cost of the new prison should have risen to $100 million from the original $40 million.

“I call on the Government to say enough is enough and put an end to this whole debacle now,” Dr Newman said.

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