Plans for multi-storey Galway courts complex rejected as new building search continues
The Courts Service has admitted that the existing courthouse ‘no longer meets current and future operational needs’ and is actively examining options
The Courts Service has confirmed that it rejected plans for the development of a new courts complex on a five-acre site in Terryland as it continues its search for new premises amid ongoing issues with Galway Courthouse.
It follows reports in last week’s Connacht Tribune that the former arthouse cinema on Merchants Road and the County Hall campus on Prospect Hill had been appraised as possible sites for the development of new court accommodation.
The Courts Service has admitted that the existing courthouse “no longer meets current and future operational needs”, and has said it is actively examining options to address accommodation requirements in Galway.
Circuit Court Judge Brian O’Callaghan has also branded the current situation at the courthouse as “bedlam” and “a disaster waiting to happen”, urging the Courts Service to source alternative premises.
With concerns over the adequacy of Galway Courthouse dating back nearly 10 years, a local property development group approached the Courts Service with a masterplan for a new complex on land it owned on the Headford Road.
The Head Space Group, the owner of the Webworks Building on Fairgreen Road, commissioned architects to design a four-storey courts building and a six-storey office building on its site opposite Dunnes Stores in Terryland.
The proposal was described as a turnkey masterplan resolving longstanding space and security constraints at the existing courthouse. It provided restricted-access corridors and chambers for the judiciary, and multiple large courtrooms.
The plans also provided for an isolated custody area in a basement with vehicular access, and dedicated jury circulation routes and private deliberation rooms, along with separate public and official traffic access to the site.
However, a spokesman for the Courts Service confirmed this week that the plans had ultimately been rejected as unsuitable following consideration, and the search for new accommodation continues.
“The Headford Road site was considered but was not progressed as it was not deemed suitable for the Courts Service’s requirements,” he said.
“The Courts Service continues to examine potential options for courthouse accommodation in Galway. As with all capital projects, any proposals will be assessed in accordance with the Government’s infrastructure guidelines.”
The 4.9-acre site in Terryland borders Castlelawn Heights, the Headford Road, and student accommodation at Gort na Coiribe. It is currently zoned recreation and amenity, and would have required rezoning to facilitate the development of a new courthouse.
The owners of the site had touted its accessibility from the nearby N6/M6 road corridor to Dublin, as well as public transport on the 407 bus route, and the main rail links via Ceannt Station.