What is next for Shrewsbury's historic former Dana prison?

It has been an iconic part of Shrewsbury's skyline for generations. And now the former Dana prison is ready for a new chapter, with news it has been sold to a developer.

The Osbourne Property Group has bought the prison from the Ministry of Justice for an undisclosed fee.

• There has been a prison on the site since 1793 and the original building was constructed by Thomas Telford to plans by Shrewsbury architect John Hiram Haycock

• The present grade II-listed prison building was constructed in 1877

• In September 2004, Member of Parliament George Stevenson, called for an enquiry into the amount of suicides which had occurred at Shrewsbury Prison. This came after three inmates had hanged themselves at the jail in two weeks.

• A report in 2005 named Shrewsbury prison as the most overcrowded in England and Wales. In August 2008 a further report stated that the prison had 178 places in use but held 326 inmates – an overcrowding rate of 183 per cent.

• The name The Dana is still often used for the prison, as well as being the name of the road to one side of the building.

• Before closure in 2013, Shrewsbury was a Category B/C prison accepting adult males from the local courts in its catchment area.

• The jail is mentioned in On Moonlit Heath and Lonesome Bank, part of the poem A Shropshire Lad.

Trevor Osborne is the chairman of the group and today spoke to the Shropshire Star about the plans for the Grade II listed building, which may involve the town's new university

Mr Osbourne said: "It is very early to say at the moment. But I am going to be meeting with the leader of Shropshire Council in the next couple of weeks to find out what the aspirations are for the university.

"There are parts of the building that are ideal for re-use like the huge gymnasium, and it would be a shame to not make use of that.

"It is too early to say what the use will be – and we will have to respect the town."

The main base for lectures for University Centre Shrewsbury from September will be the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council offices at the Guildhall in Frankwell.

The former reference library on Castle Gates will become the University Centre Shrewsbury's library, and options for accommodation for students are still being considered – but with flats being put forward as a possibility for the Dana there is a possibility students could be housed there.

Mr Osbourne said he has a passion for old British buildings and this will not be the first that he and his group will have worked on and brought back to life.

"I have been in the development industry for over 50 years," he said. "My interest is in historic buildings and finding new uses for them."

Founded in 1973, The Osborne Group say it undertakes high quality projects involving both historic buildings and local authority partnerships, with an emphasis on mixed use environments.

Typical projects range from £2 million to £50 million in value.

Projects include the regeneration of Oxford Castle and the former Oxford Gaol. The gaol has become an exclusive Malmasion Hotel where people can stay in a cell. It is surrounded by a mixture of homes, shops and a heritage centre.

In 2009, the group in partnership with Armagh City & District Council and The Prince's Regeneration Trust also signed the partnership agreement to develop Armagh Gaol into a luxury boutique hotel.

Owned by the district council for the past 10 years, the Dana was put on the market in 2008 with the view to the site being sympathetically restored and the heritage of the building protected for future generations. Bids were invited by the Ministry of Justice for the prison building in February. The prison closed in spring last year as part of a Government programme to shut ageing and expensive jails, with more than 200 staff either taking redundancy or moving to other prisons in the region.

The prison building and grounds, which cover a 2.5 hectare site, was advertised for sale in Estate Gazette.

The former jail was also advertised on Site Match UK, a specialist website for property developers, public sector landowners and planners.

The advert said the building was "capable of accommodating a range of alternative uses in planning terms".

The Osbourne Group were not on their own in bidding, with Shrewsbury businessman Martin Monahan, who owns The Peach Tree, C21 and The Buttermarket – which is next door to the prison – submitting his proposal just five minutes before proposals were due to be submitted to the Ministry Of Justice back in May.

Mr Monahan had planned to turn the prison into a pod hotel and conference centre.

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, said:"The Osborne Group has considerable experience of working with historic buildings and I understand that this was a factor that was considered by my colleagues at the Ministry of Justice when they selected the preferred buyer.

"I am confident that they will undertake the redevelopment of this iconic building to the highest standard and in a way that will preserve the history of its former use."

The road to the sale has had its controversy with the leader of Shrewsbury Town Council saying he was "disappointed" in Ministry of Justice officials, after they ignored his pleas for a public consultation.

Councillor Alan Mosley wrote to the MoJ in a bid to enable residents to have their say concerning the future of the Dana, and believes the views of the community should hold some sway over any future plans.