Law Society fight court move

THE Kerry Law Society is fighting proposals to move Tralee Courthouse to a new building on the outskirts of the town.

The historic building – which dates back to the early 19th century and dominates Ashe Street –is one of five main Irish courthouses which remain to be upgraded by the Courts Service.

Earlier this year the Department of Justice said it planned to eventually replace the courthouse with anew building on an alternative, state owned site.

Exactly which site was being considered was not revealed but previously the State had planned to build a new courthouse and Garda station on lands at Ballymullen Barracks to the south of the town.

It has now emerged that Kerry Law Society members have voiced strong opposition to any plan to move the courthouse out of the town centre.

Tralee Courthouse – one of the busiest ion the country – currently has no wheelchair access, no office space, inadequate press facilities and only a limited number of small consultation rooms where legal representatives can take instruction from the clients.

The Courts Service maintain the only way to provide the facilities is the construction of an new courthouse.

However, Kerry Law Society members say that all the required improvements could be easily facilitated if the courthouse building was expanded into an An Post yard located immediately behind the existing courthouse, which the Law Society claim is currently underused. The society have also suggested some court facilities could be housed in the vacant Kerry Protestant Hall across the road.

Tralee Courthouse