Old court buildings to be renovated

The Barbados Government plans to repurpose the old Supreme Court and Registry buildings by the end of the financial year.

This is welcomed news for staff members who long complained about the environmental challenges facing the current District “A” Magistrates’ Courts which include the Traffic Court and the Nos. 1 & 2 Criminal Courts.

Today, the Attorney General Dale Marshall along with members of the Ministry of Housing and Project Unit , the AG’s special advisor and the Registrar of the Supreme Court were seen touring the area located on Coleridge Street. Marshall said three courts were in line for an upgrade and other agencies are also expected to join the courts in the area, making for a more centralized court system.

Recognizing the significant history and design of the buildings, the AG indicated that they were certain issues that needed to be addressed.

“It’s a beautiful façade but in terms of how the building works, comfort level of staff and so on…we have a major challenge. We recognize that we have wonderful buildings on this site and government plans to repurpose them.”

He explained that the tour of the facilities was the first move in ascertaining how engineers can “fully renovate” parts of the old Supreme Court to accommodate the three courts that are located there, preserving the facility with a modern feel.

“We aren’t fixing them up temporarily to move them back here, we are spending enough money that we will have a facility here that will be absolutely modern but in older buildings… in doing so we are going to be looking carefully at the environmental issues,” Marshall noted.

In terms of the old Registry, the lower part of the building will house the Community Legal Services [CLS] which is currently located at the Supreme Court Complex at Whitepark Road, St Michael. Moving this agency will afford more space to newly-appointed judges and an “additional master” who is expected to join the fraternity in a few months.

Marshall said CLS was an allied service to the work of the court and it was important it be centrally-located for easy accessibility.

“It [The old Registry] has served us well over the years and the preliminary report is that it is still structurally sound, so as long as engineers give us a final sign-off from both there and here, you’ll see the CLS on the lower floor which would give them much more space than they need, but it would be their facility and not part of the Supreme Court Complex.”

Other agencies are expected to be assigned to the upstairs of the old Registry including the Juvenile Court.

“There’s an aura associated with some buildings of some age and prestige that would fit well with the important work that they’re doing – Coroner’s Court and Juvenile Court we are also planning to find a place for in this location,” the AG added.

All buildings in the area are expected to be utilised “rather than fall into dereliction”, according to Marshall. The old Court of Appeal Complex which is one of the major issues, in terms of its structure, is also on the books for renovation.

“The old Court of Appeal complex which is really an old, lovely building has its canopies now supported by jacks. That’s a lovely building and we are intending that we should get that back into a state that it can be used. There’s a lot of history in these courts and we’d like to preserve much of it – even the old furnishings they have been there for many generations,” Marshall said, recalling practicing in the buildings 30 years ago.

“In addition to creating jobs we will actually be re-purposing these old buildings to the kind of use that they’ve been accustomed to for many years.”

Staff, currently in the three buildings, will be moved into the working section of the old Supreme Court where courtrooms are much bigger and the comfort level higher. (TS)