Maze prison will never be a sanctuary, says DUP minister

There will “never be a sanctuary” at the site of the former Maze prison, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister said.

In 2013, Paul Givan's party blocked plans to build a peace center in the Maze, arguing that the site would become a “sanctuary of terrorism.”

More than a decade later, the organisation responsible for Northern Ireland's museums has held recent discussions about the future of the abandoned prison.

National Museums NI said it had discussed what role it could play in “interpreting and accessing the former prison”. Stormont's executive office said “no decisions have yet been made”.

The maximum security prison held paramilitary prisoners during the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the problems.

It was the place of Republican hunger strikes in 1981 in which ten prisoners starved to death.

“Of course there is a way to deal with our past, but there will never be a shrine in the Maze Prison – that will not happen,” Mr Givan told the The BBC Nolan Show.

The DUP MP, who is now Northern Ireland's Education Minister, is the son of a former Maze prison guard.

“I come from here, where my father worked as a prison guard for 36 years,” he said.

“He worked in the H-Blocks with Provisional IRA prisoners, with loyalist prisoners.

“He was there during the hunger strike. He was there when Bobby Sands died.

“So I know firsthand what it meant to serve in the Maze prison – the threat you faced.”

Mr Givan recalled an incident in which the windows of his family home were blown out.

He also said his father “checked under his car before every single trip” for fear of an attack.

A planned £300 million redevelopment of the site is in limbo following the political dispute.

Most of the prison buildings were demolished, but some remained.

In August 2013, Stormont’s then First Minister Peter Robinson of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said, blocked a plan to build a peace center on the site.

It was to be part of a comprehensive redevelopment of the 347-acre site – one of the largest publicly owned building sites in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, then Deputy First Minister, later said: no further developmentIt would continue until the dispute was settled.

Since then, the standstill has resulted in many requests to visit prison buildings being rejected by the Executive Office (TEO) – the joint department of the First Minister and his deputies.

It should be a beacon of peace and prosperity, but it is stuck in a political stalemate.

Eleven years have passed since Peter Robinson stopped plans for a peace center on the site of the former Maze prison with a letter from Florida.

As Stormont's first minister, he faced pressure from his Unionist rivals who claimed the city was becoming a “sanctuary of terrorism”.

Some parts of the extensive site near Lisburn were used.

The annual agricultural event Balmoral Show has been held there since 2013. Northern Ireland's rescue helicopter also operates from here.

But there has long been a political stalemate over a broader redevelopment plan, which the site's development authority says could bring around £800 million in investment and up to 14,000 jobs.

National Museums NI have experience in sensitively managing exhibitions and events about Northern Ireland's divisive and problematic past.

There are no concrete plans yet, but the organization's input could help realize the site's full potential.

In April, senior representatives from National Museums NI (NMNI) met with the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation (MLKDC), which was established in 2012 to redevelop the site.

A “draft partnership agreement” between the two bodies is “under development,” according to the minutes of the meeting.

It was noted that the agreement “can only be activated once there is political agreement on how to proceed”.

At the site of the former prison, it was noted that an NMNI official “stressed the need for a political mandate to enable the NMNI to manage this according to agreed criteria”.

NMNI, which is responsible for sites such as the Ulster Museum in Belfast, has many years of experience in running exhibitions and events related to the Northern Ireland conflict.

A spokeswoman said: “To our knowledge, Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation has been appointed to review options for the future development of the site.

“In this context, we have discussed what role we could play, if any, in supporting the interpretation of and access to the historic buildings, including the World War II hangars and prison buildings.

“This would be an extension of our relevant work in our museums. However, all decisions about the future of the site lie solely with the ministers.”

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly recently met with the MLKDC board to discuss the site's “great potential,” the executive office said.

“No proposals have been submitted to TEO for review regarding NMNI. No decisions have yet been made regarding the future of the site,” a spokesman said.

Bryan Gregory, interim executive director of the MLKDC, said they will “continue to explore options” to redevelop the site.

Alliance Party MP Sorcha Eastwood called for greater efforts to reach an agreement.

“The standard response of acknowledging the potential but doing nothing can no longer apply,” she said.

“Now is the time for plans, timelines and political engagement.

“In light of the government’s recent announcement about GB Energythe location could play an important role in imparting green skills and training people for the jobs of the future.”