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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Brendan Hughes

10-year stalemate over Maze prison site redevelopment 'a monument to political failure'

Its mission statement is "from peace to prosperity", but to many it has instead become a symbol of political stand-off and spurned potential.

Ten years ago this week, the Stormont Executive established an arms-length public body dedicated to redeveloping the notorious former Maze prison site.

A £300million transformation was planned for the 347-acre ground, one of Northern Ireland's largest development sites in public ownership, with the hope of attracting thousands of jobs.

Read more: Security review at former Maze prison after youths 'break in to record TikTok videos'

Located just off the M1 and within easy reach of ports and airports, it was considered an ideal location for unlocking new tourism and business opportunities.

But the project outside Lisburn has been in limbo since 2013 when then DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson halted plans to build a peace and conflict resolution centre.

In an infamous letter while on holiday in Florida, Mr Robinson withdrew support following pressure from unionist rivals who argued it would become a "shrine to terrorism".

The former prison housed paramilitary inmates during the Troubles and was the location for republican hunger strikes in 1981 in which 10 died, including Bobby Sands.

While most of the prison has been demolished, some buildings including the hospital wing where hunger strikers died were listed and retained.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, then Deputy First Minister, responded to Mr Robinson's decision by saying no further development would take place until the dispute was resolved.

EU funding of £18million for the peace centre was withdrawn and planning permission lapsed.

Since then, the stalemate has led to most requests to visit the prison buildings being refused by the first and deputy first ministers' joint Executive Office.

Closed off to the public and lying derelict, a security review was ordered last year after youths broke in to record TikTok videos.

Some sections of the sprawling site have been put to use. The annual agricultural event the Balmoral Show has been held there since 2013.

The air ambulance service was permitted to use the site in 2016 following an agreement between then First Minister Arlene Foster and the late Mr McGuinness.

But in the 10 years since the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation was established, there has been little progress on wider plans to redevelop the location.

Terence Brannigan, who has been chairman of the corporation's board throughout this time, has said the site has the potential to deliver around £800million of investment and up to 14,000 jobs.

He said in 2019 the board has set aside the disputed peace centre element to focus on realising the "full potential" of the rest of the plans.

However, there has been no ministerial agreement on a plan.

In their latest annual report, Mr Brannigan said the board "remain concerned that we continue to manage the site without an agreed way forward".

"Given such circumstances, our key focus has been on health and safety matters," he said.

In February, the chief executive of the Strategic Investment Board told a Stormont committee the site has "massive economic development potential".

Brett Hannam told MLAs: "If ministers decided that the board should have more freedom of action, then it has a well-developed plan for taking forward economic development of the site.

"In the absence of such ministerial agreement then it is impossible to move forward beyond the strict boundaries that have been set."

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin, former chair of the Executive Office scrutiny committee, said the Maze site is a "monument to a spectacular failure of political leadership".

"As a crucial economic corridor, this site has huge potential for regeneration, economic development, job creation and to act as a showcase site demonstrating the power of devolved government," she added.

"Instead, political squabbling and deadlock has left it vacant, squandering opportunity in favour of another bun fight. People deserve so much better than this."

Alliance MLA David Honeyford hit out at "political arguing and procrastination" over the site, which he said still has "great potential" including use as an employment zone or leisure facilities.

He added: "There also needs to be thought put into the surrounding area. The Knockmore Road, which would provide access from the M1/A1, was granted planning permission but the decision was called in by the Department for Infrastructure and that remains with the department."

The stalemate follows earlier plans for a £55million multi-sports stadium on the site being scrapped in 2009 by DUP MP Gregory Campbell when he was Stormont sports minister.

With the stand-off showing no signs of ending, there have been some calls over the years for the corporation to be shelved.

However, the Executive Office this week launched a public appointment competition for new board members for the body, each receiving £4,000 a year.

The board's chair Mr Brannigan, who in 2020-21 earned £12,000 for the role, and the corporation's chief executive Bryan Gregory, entitled to a salary of up to £45,000 in the same period, did not respond to requests for an interview.

Other board members have been told not to speak to the media and to instead refer all questions to the chair.

The DUP and Sinn Féin also did not respond to requests for a comment.

A spokeswoman for the Executive Office said: "Decisions on the future regeneration of the Maze/Long Kesh site will be a matter for ministers.

"Pending agreement on the way forward, the development corporation is responsible for maintenance and preservation of the listed and retained buildings, health and safety, management of the existing tenants on site, and considering the approach to future development."

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