Victorian government moves new youth justice centre away from Werribee South after resident backlash

Victoria's controversial new juvenile jail will be moved after strong community opposition.

The new youth justice facility was to be built in Werribee South, after the government unveiled the plan in January.

Thousands of residents took to the streets in early February to protest the plan, calling out the local Labor MP for Werribee, Tim Pallas, for failing to consult with locals.

Angry residents branded the 224-bed proposal, which will have a six-metre reinforced concrete perimeter wall, “Tim’s Palace”.

The new facility will be moved west to Cherry Creek in Wyndham, further away from residential and tourism areas, it was announced this morning.

"We wanted a site that was further away from any residential areas and the tourism precinct, and was not visible from the freeway. This new site ticks those boxes," Wyndham City Mayor Henry Barlow said.

Treasurer Tim Pallas said he was “very relieved” to have a new site.

"We have worked closely with Wyndham Council to identify an alternative site that meets the needs of the community," he said.

Plans for the new $228 million high-security prison, which will hold sentenced and remanded youths, come after two reports found Parkville was unfit for purpose.

A report by former Victoria Police Commissioner Neil Comrie into riots at Parkville last November, completed in January, found the facility had "inherent safety and security issues" and destruction by detainees rendered residential units "uninhabitable".

Photos included in the report show ceilings ripped down, electrical cables exposed and windows smashed.

Repeated riots in Parkville and at the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, and a mass break-out sparking a 24-hour alleged crime spree, have thrown the system into crisis.

With AAP.