MATT RODDA MP has announced that he is set to meet with the minister of state for prisons and probation on Wednesday, June 29, to discuss plans for Reading Gaol.
In a video posted to social media, Mr Rodda said that the government had agreed to meet with him to discuss plans for the site.
He is a vocal member of the campaign to Save Reading Gaol, which advocates for the development of the gaol into a community and arts hub.
The site holds potential as an arts hub largely due to its association with Oscar Wilde, who was famously imprisoned there between 1895 and 1897, where he authored the Ballad of Reading Gaol.
The latest bid by Reading Borough Council to turn the site into an arts centre was rejected in May 2021, with the Ministry of Justice turning down the £2.6 million offer and putting the site back up for sale.
The MOJ has been considering a number of proposals since, but has now agreed to meet with the council again to discuss plans.
In the video, Mr Rodda says: “Reading Gaol is an amazing piece of our heritage.
“I’m stepping up my campaign to save the gaol, and turn it into an arts hub.”
“I’m very proud of the campaign that residents, local arts groups, Reading Council, myself, and others have been running.”
Banksy, the artist behind the graffiti mural of an escapee on the gaol’s wall, has offered £10 million to help save the building.
He is just one of a number of high-profile backers of the project, including Stephen Fry, Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Sir Kenneth Brannagh, and Gyles Brandreth.
Speaking with Reading Today last week, Gyles Brandreth said: “Reading Gaol is part of the story of Reading.
“Whatever the future holds for the building, it’d be wonderful if it could encompass some involvement with the arts, with heritage, and with the university.”
Mr Rodda said: “This would be an enormous step forward for our community.
“And I’m delighted to report that the government has finally agreed to meeting us and discussing the possibility of Banksy supporting the bid to save the gaol.
“We have a meeting on Wednesday, and I’m looking forward to discussing these important points, and I hope that we may be able to make some progress.”
A number of campaigns to save the prison have been put forward, including around 1,000 people joining hands around the prison in a ‘hug’ in 2019.
This was also the year that the Save Reading Gaol campaign was founded, and Kirstin Sinclair published designs as part of the Open Skies Centre of Arts Reading, or OSCAR, proposal.
The plans saw space for two theatres, a music school, art studios and galleries, a museum, and even a radio station, as well as a number of communal, social spaces.
In the video posted to social media, Mr Rodda said: “I would like the government to work with Banksy and Reading Borough Council to save this valuable building and allow it to be used for the public and for the arts.”
