Seven years on, 'not a sod turned' on family courts site

The Hammond Lane site earmarked in 2014 for a new Family Law Court Complex. Picture: Moya Nolan

Seven years after the announcement of the location for the country’s Family Law Court Complex “not a sod has been turned” on the site, a campaigning family law solicitor has said.

On December 12, 2014, then justice minister Frances Fitzgerald, flanked by then chief justice Susan Denham, spoke to media at the derelict Hammond Lane site, near the Four Courts in Dublin, to reveal where the new complex would be built.

The minister said people had been waiting “over 20 years” for it.

While the complex has since featured in successive programmes for government and in Courts Service annual reports, it has been dogged with delays.

Hammond Lane site. Picture: Moya Nolan

“Since 2014, we have had two more chief justices — Frank Clarke and now Donal O’Donnell — and two different ministers for justice — Charlie Flanagan and Helen McEntee,” said Keith Walsh, a Dublin-based family lawyer.

We’ve also had the introduction and publication of the Family Courts Bill since then, but there has been no progress. Not a sod has been turned on the site, it’s still undeveloped.” 

He said construction was meant to start in 2017.

“Family lawyers in Dublin, including myself, have been calling for this for many years," he said. 

The problem is the state of the current courts we are using for the last 10-20 years, particularly since 2017, are dilapidated.” 

He said the district childcare courts are housed in Victorian courts, located beside the Bridewell, originally used for criminal cases.

He said the district civil family courts, dealing with access, custody, guardianship, and domestic violence are housed in an old hotel, Dolphin House, which was “overcrowded and not fit for purpose at all”.

He said because of where buildings are located, people have to congregate outside.

There’s very little privacy for people going through one of the worst points of life, whether childcare or access or custody,” he said. 

On the status of the project, the Department of Justice said: “This is subject to detailed planning and design work, which is currently being undertaken by OPW architectural services, and in light of which, the scheme may change.

“The design is being informed by consultations with stakeholders operating in the area of family law, legislative developments and outputs from family law modernisation initiatives. On completion of the design, the Part 9 Planning Application will begin."

It said that current time-frames, allowing for procurement, undertaken by the National Development Finance Agency, and planning would see construction "commencing in 2023".

It said governance arrangements were in the process of being established by officials.