Wrangle over move to shut county court

THE Ministry of Justice is desperately trying to block its landlord from closing Huddersfield County Court, the Examiner can reveal.

The government department has stepped in to object to plans to redevelop Queensgate House, the office block in which the civil court is based.

The Examiner revealed last year that there were plans to transform the building on Huddersfield ring road, into 156 student flats.

Last December the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) played the proposal down, saying it was renegotiating its lease, which had expired, and stating that it had “no plans to exit the building”.

The proposal to redevelop it, which included adding four floors onto the three-storey 1990sbuilt block, appeared to have been dropped.

But six months on they seem to have been revived amid suggestions that the landlord’s negotiations with the MoJ have not gone well.

New-look proposals were submitted to Kirklees planners in May and the applicant has revealed the MoJ’s proposal for a short-term lease was “not feasible.”

A statement by the applicant in planning documents says the MoJ has made a “poor offer” to continue renting two floors of the three-floor building, due to the lack of interest by anyone else.

They admit the offices are out of date and unattractive to firms who are opting for business parks near motorways and claim there is little hope of being able to fill the vacant space.

They say the top floor of the building has been empty for eight years and it is “critical” that a medium to long-term future for the property is secured.

The applicant claims the MoJ has been offered four other options, including purchasing the freehold of the building or leasing the entire premises, but it has continued to press for a short-term deal. In response, an objection document lodged by the MoJ reveals they have claimed there is nowhere else suitable for the court in Huddersfield and it would be forced to relocate the 27 staff that work there to other courts in Bradford or Leeds. The MoJ representation says Queensgate House had handled 435 civil hearings in “recent years”, along with more than 500 family court hearings and 147 tribunals.

“This work could not all be retained in Huddersfield should the courts not be able to continue to operate from Queensgate House,” the MoJ’s property agents, GVA, claim.

They add: “There will inevitably be a negative impact for people who attend court in Huddersfield.”

The objection goes on to highlight the potential damage to the legal profession in town, with firms having to shift work to solicitors and professional services companies in Leeds or Bradford.

Councillors may now be forced to decide what happens to the building – opposite the Co-op building – which handles non-criminal trials such as ‘small claims court’ or people seeking compensation from businesses.

The updated designs lodged with council planners show the new scheme has been reduced to 151 bedrooms with a lower roof height.

They say the roofline has been simplified, “taking inspiration from the saw tooth roof profile which is dominant within the town’s skyline”.

The proposal will be discussed at Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee on Thursday, July 5.