The former Noranside open jail in rural Angus has gone on the market.
Axed by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) last year to leave Castle Huntly near Dundee as the sole establishment in the country’s open estate, the one-time TB hospital and its expansive policies are now being offered as a whole with a price tag of £850,000.
The Dundee office of chartered surveyors and property specialists Graham & Sibbald is handling the disposal of the prison on behalf of the SPS and says the period since the jail closed in October has already generated local and national interest.
The Noranside site, north of Forfar, extends to 108 hectares (267 acres) and includes agricultural land and forestry.
Building space covers 7416 sq m and the former prison is described by the selling agents as having ”significant development opportunities”.
At the centre of the main buildings is the two-storey, B-listed Noranside House, which served mainly as administrative accommodation for the prison, including the governor’s office.
Adjacent blocks contain the 79 cells used to house inmates. Additional buildings include a gymnasium, classrooms, laundry, stores, workshops and offices.
To the west of the main buildings is detached Edzell House, split into 22 cells, and the site also includes Finavon House, a two-storey property which was once the governor’s home but in more recent times was given over to independent living prisoner accommodation to better prepare long-term inmates for release.’Number of inquiries’The Noranside estate farmland is a mix of arable and permanent pasture, formerly worked by the SPS as part of the prison operation, but latterly let on seasonal agreements running until the end of October this year.
Andrew Dandie, a partner in the selling firm in Dundee, said: ”A number of inquiries have come forward and companies seem intrigued by the opportunities it might present.
”We consider the property provides opportunities for redevelopment for a variety of uses, subject to receiving the necessary consents.”
Noranside’s fate was sealed after an SPS review declared the jail surplus to requirements.
The closure was bitterly opposed by the prison officers’ union and the local community, who cited the jail’s long-standing and successful relationship with the area as a key attribute.
Fears also emerged that closure of the old house and cell blocks, which had undergone significant investment over a number of years, might leave the community with a ”white elephant” in its midst, which would deteriorate in condition and become a magnet for vandals.
Among early suggestions for future uses was one military veteran’s belief that Noranside could become a rehabilitation centre for injured Scottish service personnel an idea which drew an initial swell of support but has moved no further forward than a so far unanswered call for an options study.
It has also been hinted that Noranside could be used to address Angus’s shortage of hotel accommodation, but although the jail enjoys the advantage of a tranquil location while still being close to the main A90 trunk road, conversion costs have been cited as a possible detractor for such a scheme.