What's next for Ashley? Meander Valley Council pushes for clear plan from State Government

The Tasmanian State Government has announced cancellation of their plans to construct a new 270-bed Northern Correctional Facil­ity at the site of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre in Deloraine, choosing instead to upgrade existing prison facilities across the state.

This decision apparently ends five years of uncertainty around the proposed project for the Meander Valley community.

With the facility set to close in the coming years, Meander Valley Council has called on the State Government to provide a clear plan for the future of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre site, how it will offset the negative economic impact of the prison’s withdrawal and what alternative developments might be pursued at this site.

“There’s growing anxiety among our local residents about the availability of jobs and services in the area,” said Meander Valley Council Mayor Wayne Johnston.

“Our community needs clarity on the future of the Ashley site now the prison project is off the table.”

“While we understand priorities change, the Meander Valley community deserves to know how the State Gov­ernment plans to reduce the economic impacts caused by this decision,” Mayor Johnston said.

“We’d like to see concrete plans that will bring investment, jobs, and growth to our region.”

Mayor Johnston acknowledged that while the project was originally promoted as a major economic driver for Northern Tasmania—expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs and long-term employment oppor­tunities—the Council had not received any information from the State Government on their project since early 2024.

“Communication with the government has been severely lacking. We’ve had limited correspondence from the Department of Justice or anyone within the government for months, on this issue and others,” said Mayor John­ston.

“State Government modelling had shown the Northern Correctional Facility could have created up to 273 full-time jobs in Meander Valley by 2040 and increased our region’s Gross Regional Product by $289 million. This would have been the largest investment project in our municipality to date,” Mayor Johnston said.

“While some of our residents may be relieved the project has been dropped, we now need to know what the State Government’s plan is for the site and how they intend to support local job creation and economic development in our region.”

“While other Northern Tasmanian regions see major investments, Meander Valley waits to hear about our fu­ture. And as we wait, many in our community are worried our region is being left behind,” Mayor Johnston said.

ENDS