No new courthouse in Portlaoise despite site lying idle for five years

DESPITE a site in Portlaoise bought nearly six years ago to construct a new courthouse on, not one sod has yet been turned to commence the development.

For years, local people and councillors have called for the existing courthouse along the town’s Main Street to be removed from the centre of the town.

Violent and ugly clashes have been witnessed along the Main Street on court days. Shop owners report higher incidents of theft from their premises when the courts are sitting. Young mothers and elderly have expressed their fears and say they fell intimidated of having to pass by crowds of people who congregate outside the courthouse. While footpaths are regularly blocked by prison vans and garda cars.

Completed in 1805, the existing courthouse replaced an earlier one destroyed by fire in 1782 and has since been labelled as past its sell by date, while the Irish Court Service agreed some years ago that the old building was no longer fit for purpose.

The green field site for the new courthouse is located on lands behind the Aldi store, off James Fintan Lalor Avenue. It was deemed the ideal location to construct on because of access to it from the Southern Circular Road which connects the Abbeyleix and Timahoe Roads.

Back in 2017 when Frances Fitzgerald was the then Justice Minister she said that the new courthouse in Portlaoise would be dependent on the availability of funding and that while detailed specifications for the proposed new courthouse were not developed, she said the potential site may need to be capable of accommodating an appropriately sized courthouse for the area and he expected it to be a six courtroom venue.

It may be the case that no foundation will be laid from now until 2030 because the National Development Plan (NDP) 2021 – 2030 contains courthouse development projects to be completed during its period in 11 counties - Galway City, Wicklow Town, Portlaoise, Tralee, Roscommon, Naas, Bray, Navan, Swords, Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire.

But that hasn’t stopped councillors in Laois raising the need for a new courthouse at every opportunity that they can get.

The latest being at the April meeting of Laois County Council when cllr Tommy Mulligan called on the council to request an update from the present Ministers for Justice and the Office of Public Works (OPW) on their plans to construct the new courthouse.

Cllr Mulligan said: “This has been highlighted a few times over the years, but it can’t be highlighted enough. It needs to be prioritised by the OPW and funding needs to be made available.

“As public representatives this issue is being raised with us the whole time. It’s not fit for purpose. There’s a lack of facilities in the building. There’s no public gallery. There’s a lack of parking around it. Sometimes the court sits four and sometime five days a week. It’s intimidating for anyone pushing a pram or just passing by with criminals outside it. It’s a no-go area for elderly people, because they’re afraid of their lives going by it. It’s also not fair on the businesses along Main Street. Gardaí, prison officer, judges, the public, everyone is frustrated by it.” 

Cllr Mulligan said: “We’re in a great position for it (new courthouse). The land is bought by the OPW, and Laois County Council and the government have committed building it by 2030. But I’m fearing and asking is Laois going to be left behind, again.

“Since the land was purchased over five-years ago, there’s no plans in place. We need a timeline and a commencement date. There’s a fair chance that this is going to be another broken promise.” “It’s been a struggle for this a long, long time now, in relation to this new courthouse,” said cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley.

She said: “I remember years ago when I had my own little barber shop there (around the corner from the courthouse) and businesses around the area dreaded Thursday’s coming (criminal court sitting day). There were (prison and garda) vans there and the whole town choked up. It looked dreadful. There has been difficulties outside the courthouse down through the years with many incidents taking place.

“From what I know, when this was raised by our TDs, Portlaoise wasn’t in the OPWs plans. It’s about getting it into the plan first of all. We need to meet with the relevant ministers and try push this along.” 

Cllr Marie Tuohy said: “This has been going on for so long and motion after motion has been brought in (to council meetings). It just seems to be really bad luck, for want of a better word, for Main Street. It is quite intimidating at times. It basically takes over the whole street, whether you are walking or driving along it. People often ask what day is the court on, and when you tell them they say they are not going into town. It’s a beautiful building that could be used for nicer projects.” 

Councillor agreed to seek a meeting with the OPW Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran to push forward their demands for a new courthouse in Portlaoise as soon as possible.