The Rolestown St Margaret's Action Group, which represents residents in three constituencies, including Lenihan's Dublin West constituency, has called on him to carry out the review immediately.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune, the group's secretary, Teresa McDonnell, said, "When Michael McDowell took over as minister for justice, one of the first things he did was to review his predecessor John O'Donoghue's plans to refurbish Mountjoy.

"We are now calling on Brian Lenihan to review all aspects of the plan to build a super prison on Thornton before committing hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money to this controversial project and before committing us, his constituents, and this rural area to a very uncertain future."

The residents' call comes just weeks after Lenihan addressed a head to head meeting between the residents and election candidates from Dublin North, Dublin West and Meath East.

During that meeting Lenihan faced a barrage of criticism from a few hundred residents when he reaffirmed his support for the prison. He was heckled when he left the meeting early for another engagement.

The 2006 Prisons Bill allows for the Oireachtas to decide whether the prison will go ahead so the incoming government will have the final say on the multi-million euro project.

Lenihan told last month's public meeting: "I can't give an undertaking that I will vote against a resolution for the prison to go ahead.

"The government have already bought the land and for any government to go back on the plans at this stage would be a waste of the investment that has already been put in place."

The Sunday Tribune recently revealed that the government has done a major u-turn on its controversial plans for the prison by purchasing more land to allow traffic to access the jail.

Former justice minister Michael McDowell acquired the new land bank to develop road access to the 29.9m prison site.

Plans for the new road and a garda station for the area were outlined in a letter circulated to residents by Brian Lenihan, who was then the minister for youth justice.

Meanwhile, last Friday a High Court judge reserved his decision on an application by a local man for an injunction halting works for the proposed prison.

Michael Kavanagh, of Kilsallaghan, Co Dublin, is also seeking an injunction to prevent the awarding of the tender for the construction of the prison as he believes McDowell presented the local community with a "fait accompli."

The retired Aer Lingus worker said in an affidavit read to the court that he first heard of the decision in relation to the Thornton Hall site on the radio and was "truly astounded and shocked" because there had been no prior consultation with the local community.

Kavanagh said: "To say the whole local community including my family, in what was an agricultural area, went into deep shock when they heard the news would be an understatement."