Courthouse move still on the cards

COURTS SERVICE SAY ALL OPTIONS OPEN REGARDING TRALEE COURT

THE Courts Service says it is keeping its options open regarding the redevelopment of Tralee’s courthouse though the preferred option still appears to be moving it to the outskirts of Tralee.

Though all sides acknowledge significant work is required to bring the courthouse up to standard, Kerry’s legal circle and Tralee’s business community say they will fight any attempt to move the court from the town centre.

Last week in the Dáil Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae questioned Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan about the Courts Service’s plans for the building.

Minister Flanagan said that various options are being explored but, based on his answer, it seems moving the court to a new building in Ballymullen is still the favoured option.

“The refurbishment, extension and development of existing courthouses has always been the Courts Service’s preference. However, while this is an option for Tralee, the scope for refurbishing and developing the existing courthouse on Ashe Street to provide the envisaged accommodation is extremely limited due to the nature of the building and the constraints of the site,” said Minister Flanagan.

“The Courts Service has also advised that it is currently considering a number of options for Tralee Courthouse, including the level of extension and refurbishment achievable within the confines of the existing courthouse site; whether it would be feasible to acquire an adjacent site and the degree of extension and refurbishment this would allow,” said Mr Flanagan.

“Previous efforts to acquire adjacent sites on Ashe Street have not been successful as the sites could not be acquired at a price that represented value for money,” said the Minister.

Minister Flanagan said that, as part of its considerations, the Courts Service has had the Ballymullen Barracks’ site assessed by the OPW and valued by the State’s Valuation Office.