A NEW alternative prison in Maryhill for women will be called ‘The Lilias Centre’.

Scottish Prison Service (SPS) will lodge plans for what it calls a “citizen repair workshop” to Glasgow City Council next month.

It will house 24 women prisoners who one third of will be able to access the wider community for appointments and shopping.

The Lilias Centre will be named after Lilias Graham, who was an activist in the temperance movement in Maryhill in the 18th and 19 centuries.

At the time, Maryhill had one pub for every 57 residents, with a population of 1300 and 23 licensed premises.

Despite its friendly design, the facility will be governed by prison laws, have a secure perimetre and be staffed 24-hours a day.

There will be two mother-and-baby rooms, six studio apartments and shared rooms for the other 16 prisoners.

The former site of Maryhill Health Centre has been cleared of asbestos to make way for the new prison.

It is expected to be completed and filled with inmates by the end of 2020.

Tom Fox of the Scottish Prison Service said: “This is a big departure for us. It’s not like anything we’ve done before.

“What we’re trying to do is act as a citizen repair workshop.

“When women are finished their sentence, we want them to go out to the community and live empowering lives.”

The prison will see one third of convicts released into the community for activities like shopping and medical appointments.

Some local groups however had concerns.

Lorna Brenna, from Maryhill and Summerston Community Council said: “There are pockets of the area with a lot of drug use so I am a bit concerned.

“Some women have a high dependency on drugs, and if they access the community, how are they not going to be able to engage with drug users?”