Courts Service presses ahead with Tralee closure despite strong opposition

THE Courts Service yesterday confirmed it was pressing ahead with plans to build a new courthouse on the outskirts of Tralee, despite local opposition.

The Kerry Law Society and Tralee town centre traders are protesting against the closure of the old Ashe Street courthouse, which was built around 1834.

Solicitors are also angry about not being consulted regarding the relocation of court facilities.

Courts Service spokesman Luke O’Neill said a feasibility study undertaken by the Office of Public Works (OPW) had established the inability of the existing courthouse in Tralee to meet the accommodation needs of court users.

“Unfortunately, the space available in Tralee is not adequate to meet the requirements of a modern 21st century courthouse, or to provide for the privacy, comfort and facilities that citizens who need to attend court rightly expect.”

The High Court now sits in Tralee and the number of Circuit Court sittings has also increased. “In this environment, it is simply not possible to continue with the current arrangement in Tralee, given the unsuitability of the existing facilities,” said Mr O’Neill.

He said the Courts Service was in discussions with the OPW to acquire a portion of the Ballymullen Barracks site for the construction of a new courthouse.

He said the Courts Service would soon begin consultations with court users regarding this proposal.

Kerry Law Society president Matt Breslin is to a lead a delegation of Tralee solicitors to a meeting with Courts Service director PJ Fitzpatrick in Dublin on April 19.

Mr Breslin said they were totally opposed to the relocation, saying the existing courthouse building was a good one. “All that is needed is to get suitable accommodation for the court staff who are under pressure of space. New offices could be located in Ashe Street, adjacent to the current building instead of moving everything out of town.”

Also, Tralee business people said they had secured hundreds of signatures in support of a campaign to retain the status quo. A traders’ spokesman claimed the courthouse relocation would be devastating for some town centre businesses which were already under pressure because of the growth of out-of-town businesses.

A landmark in Tralee, the courthouse has an impressive Ionic façade, flanked on either side by Crimean and Indian military memorials. It was extensively refurbished in the 1970s.