HMCTS has just signed a 25 year lease which will see civil, family and tribunal hearings brought together under one roof at Civic Centre in the heart of the Newcastle.
The development will provide a modern, fit for purpose building for local people, legal professionals, judiciary, and courts and tribunals staff. The new courthouse is expected to open by 2020.
Linda Ventress, HMCTS regional estates strategy lead, said: "This new court will help provide a modern, fit for purpose building for the people of Newcastle. We are delighted to see the next stage of the project begin and look forward to bringing civil, family and tribunal work into one location, making it easier and more efficient for people to access justice."
Current operations at Newcastle's Manorview House (Social Security and Child Support Tribunal) and North Shields' King's Court (County and Family Court Hearing Centre) will be relocated to the new city centre venue, which will boast 25 purpose built court and hearing rooms.
Elsewhere in Newcastle the Combined Court Centre, down on the Quayside, will be transformed into a new Criminal Justice Centre. The upper floor of the building will be converted into four new Magistrates' Court courtrooms, two of which will have access to the cells. The ten existing Crown Court courtrooms are being retained on the lower floors, as are four civil/family courtrooms.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court, located on the city's Market Street, will be disposed of once the new Criminal Justice Centre starts operating. The Market Street building, which dates back to the 1930s, is in a state of disrepair and has no cell accommodation following the closure of the adjacent police station a few years ago.
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