Inverness’s Porterfield Prison to be bought by community charity within the Highland capital?
Porterfield Prison in Inverness could be bought by the surrounding community after it shutters its doors next year, according to reports.
Crown Connects, which was born during the Covid pandemic as a local support group and has since grown into a thriving community charity, is understood to be pursuing plans for a community buy-out of the site - a so-called community asset transfer.
The prison, which dates back to 1902, is in the process of being phased out - with a brand new £209 million prison being built in the east of the city to replace it.
That new site, next to Inverness Shopping Park, is expected to open its doors next year, at which point Porterfield will become surplus to the Scottish Prison Service’s requirements.
And future uses for the historic site are already being explored - with the newly-adopted Inverness and Moray Firth local development plan zoning the site for possible housing or tourism. Highland Council documents believe the site could provide space for around 30 houses.
However, potential use of the land for new green space and a community hub may also be on the cards after BBC Radio Scotland reported that Crown Connects is seeking a community asset transfer.
Speaking on the station this morning, Crown Connects spokesperson Rebecca Robertson said the immediate area had limited green spaces and is also one of the few areas in the city lacking its own community centre.
She believes a community buy-out will provide a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the Crown area.
She said: “We would really like to see more green spaces in the local area and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase those green spaces and also to create a community hub as well.
“This is one of the few places in Inverness which doesn’t have a community centre and this is an opportunity for us to address that and to have a space where the community could come.”
The Inverness Courier has reached out to Crown Connects for further information about their hopes for the buy-out and future uses of the prison site.
