The current Tralee courthouse will be offered to Kerry County Council when it’s no longer needed by the Courts Service.
Last month, Kerry county councillors voted to sell a half-acre site on the Island of Geese in Tralee to the Courts Service for €160,000, to build a new courthouse.
The vote came ten days after a meeting between the Courts Service and councillors in the Tralee Municipal District.
Briefing notes from this meeting were released to Radio Kerry under Freedom of Information.
The meeting on September 9th was attended by all seven Tralee MD councillors and CEO of the Courts Service, Angela Denning.
Kerry County Council’s Chief Executive Moira Murrell, Tralee MD Manager Niamh O’Sullivan, Tralee MD Officer Jean Foley, and Acting Senior Executive Engineer for Tralee, Colm Nagle, were also in attendance.
Briefing notes from the meeting, show the Courts Service acknowledged the preferred scenario was to renovate and extend the Ashe Street courthouse, but this was not possible.
The Courts Service said it has been seeking to identify a suitable location for a new courthouse in Kerry for the past 14 years, and it was Kerry County Council which invited the Courts Service to examine the Island of Geese site.
Ms Denning confirmed the An Post site on Edward Street was not available, while any interference with the communication mast located on the building would require lease agreements with its 23 tenants.
The Courts Service also considered the Kerry Protestant Hall on Ashe Street, but it would pose significant issues for development, as it is a listed building.
Angela Denning told councillors at the meeting that a much larger “Access for All” courthouse is required for more sittings of the courts, criminal and family law matters, meeting rooms for jurors, witnesses, legal profession, gardai and judges and the associated wrap around support services that are required.
The Courts Service outlined the Ashe Street courthouse will be used in the medium term until a new courthouse is procured for construction, and it will maintain the courthouse during that time.
Ms Denning confirmed that in accordance with government policy, the current courthouse will be offered to Kerry County Council and/or all other government departments when no longer required.
The Courts Service also confirmed it would work with the council in any future regeneration project for the current courthouse.
