Minister Helen McEntee rules out An Post building for new Tralee courthouse

When questioned by Sinn Féin Deputy Pa Daly in the Dáil about proposals to utilise the An Post site, Minister McEntee said previous governments had explored the idea of purchasing this building as early as 2000, but it was not for sale. She said the building is still not for sale.

“It had been ongoing for many years stretching back to the 2000s, and during that period a number of sites were considered for the purpose of a courthouse. The An Post site was among the sites that were considered but it was not for sale during that period. Obviously only sites that were for sale could be considered,” she said.

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Deputy Daly, who has long advocated for the retention of court services in the Ashe Street area, said preserving the antiquity of the current Tralee Courthouse is the best option for the town centre in terms economics and reducing carbon footprint.

He highlighted that while the site at Island of Geese has been purchased for €160,000 by the Court Service, the overall budget would cost in the region of €18 million – funding that is unlikely to be secured for a further three years as part of the next tranche of National Development Plan (NDP) projects.

Minister McEntee stated that in budget 2024, €185 million was allocated to the ‘Courts Vote’ overall, including capital funding of €67 million. This sum covers public private partnership payments for eight courthouses as well as funding for the significant technological upgrades taking place across the courts, including the ongoing Wi-Fi upgrade and video court expansion.

“A modern court facility will be built on this site. The Island of Geese site represents a great opportunity to develop a modern, fit-for-purpose courthouse in Tralee,” Minister McEntee said.

“Ahead of the next phase of the NDP, the Courts Service will seek to advance design work on the new courthouse. This will ensure that once funding becomes available, the Courts Service will be in a position to move quickly.”

Deputy Daly said as the Island of Geese site is still empty, now is the opportunity for the Department to save State money by pursuing the An Post building. He suggested the land purchased for €160,000 at the former Denny site could be used for another facility, perhaps for An Garda Síochána.

Minister McEntee said it was a matter for the local authority to do what they wised with the remainder of the Island of Geese site. She added that pausing something we know we can progress now for something that might not come up, is not the ideal solution.