THE Greenock site formerly earmarked for a new women’s ‘super prison’ could still be used as a replacement for the existing Gateside jail, according to the Scottish Government.

It abandoned plans for a 350-capacity women’s prison in January 2015 — after spending £7.7 million on designing it and buying and clearing the former Greenock High ground on Inverkip Road, pictured.

The government decided instead to build smaller women’s units.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has now announced that these first two community custodial units will be in Glasgow and in Fife or Dundee.

So the Tele asked the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), who still own the Inverkip Road ground, what it plans to do with the eyesore site.

A spokeswoman said there was no update on previous statements that ‘it is still available for future use’.

Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe has repeatedly pressed the government to make use of the site.

And he raised it again during a recent meeting in Greenock with a Scottish Government official.

Councillor McCabe said: “The civil servant advised us that the site is still under active consideration for the replacement of HMP Greenock.

“It was agreed that MSPs would press the Cabinet Secretary for an early decision on this matter.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Tele during a visit to Greenock in November 2015 that the site could still be used for a prison.

She said: “It’s entirely possible it will be used in future for SPS plans.

“That may be a replacement for the current Greenock prison.

“It’s still very much there as an asset for the SPS. I would hope that, in the not too distant future, there would be clarity.”

Ms Sturgeon said it could be after the May 2016 Scottish Parliament elections before a decision was reached because there were issues to be worked through, including the Scottish Government’s budgetary position.

She added: “We understand the local concern about it.

“Nobody wants to have a big site doing nothing for an extended period of time. It’s in nobody’s interests. We’ll try to bring clarity as soon as possible.

“We understand there is a frustration that it can’t happen immediately, but it’s not possible to say exactly when it will happen.”