THE derelict former Mid Wales Hospital in Talgarth could be converted into a prison – the Prime Minister has been told.

The suggestion has come from a Welsh council leader who has said the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) should consider other sites in Wales over its preferred choice of Baglan Moors in Port Talbot for its planned new super prison.

Rob Jones, the leader of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, described the disused psychiatric hospital, which was once the Brecon and Radnor Joint Counties Lunatic Asylum and closed in 1999, as “far more suitable” for the Category C prison, which would house prisoners who cannot be trusted in open conditions but are thought unlikely to make a determined escape attempt, in his letter to PM Theresa May.

But the council chief’s comments have sparked an angry response from William Powell who represents Talgarth on Powys County Council. The Liberal Democrat said the Labour council leader should stick to his own “manor”.

The proposed prison, which it is understood could house as many as 1,600 inmates, has proved controversial.

Some politicians and prison reformers have questioned if it is necessary and are opposed in principle to large prisons while there is also opposition to the MOJ’s favoured location, which is part of an industrial park.

The Welsh Government owns the land in Port Talbot but has said it isn’t committed to selling it to the MOJ. First Minister Carwyn Jones has however said he believes prisons are beneficial to local economies due to employment opportunities.

Cllr Jones wrote to the PM as he said he had been misquoted in Parliament, by the minister for prisons, Sam Gyimah.

The south Wales council leader said he hadn’t previously expressed an opinion on the suitability of the Baglan Moors site but following Mr Gyimah’s intervention he wished to suggest what he considered “far more appropriate sites”.

He suggested the Velindre site, near Llanelli, which was also considered by the MOJ, or another site in his own ward.

The councillor then wrote in the letter: “Failing consideration of these I would suggest that he and his officials return to the drawing board and examine carefully far more suitable sites, such as the former RNAD establishment at Trecwn in Pembrokeshire or the former Talgarth Hospital in Powys.”

The Mid Wales Hospital closed in 1999 and the loss of jobs hit the local economy. There had been plans to create a business park but they never came to full fruition amid controversy around the sale of the site.

The building and land are currently owned by Pontrilas-based developer Phil Collins, who is expected to submit revised plans for housing at the site to the Brecon Beacons National Park which has already rejected one redevelopment application.

Cllr Powell said he has always been opposed to any suggestion the site should become a prison as had been mooted while it was still in public ownership.

He said: “There was speculation back in the late 90s that Mid Wales Hospital was a possible candidate site for a prison development.

“In my view, any prison proposals were ill conceived. Despite present difficulties at the Mid Wales Hospital site, we must remember that it is now privately owned and is a designated mixed use site, with a significant housing allocation.

“My understanding is that Mr Collins, the site owner, is soon going to come forward with a draft development brief for the site, as required by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.

“The wider community needs to engage positively with the emerging plan. Cllr Jones’ comments are neither welcome nor helpful – and I hope that he will refocus his energies on the challenges he faces in Neath Port Talbot, rather than proposing half baked schemes well beyond his manor.”

Dyfed-Powys Police has also been conducting regular patrols at the hospital in recent months due to complaints from neighbours about anti-social behaviour. The force has warned people to stay away from the site which has become a magnet for ghost hunters and others.

In 2002 Welsh soap opera Nuts and Bolts used the wards at the hospital as a stand in for a women’s prison.

The Welsh Government put forward 20 potential prison sites in south Wales, including nine in public ownership, but none in Breconshire.