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Funding move to fast-track garda stations

The Government has given the go-ahead for funding to develop new garda stations in Macroom, Co Cork and Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

The Department of Justice said that the development of the stations would proceed more quickly by decoupling the projects from plans for a new Family Court Complex at Hammond Lane in Dublin.

Hammond Lane will now proceed as a stand-alone Justice PPP (Public Private Partnership) project when planning permission has been secured.

‘Strategic priority’

The department described the construction of the two stations as “a long-standing strategic priority” for an Garda Síochána (AGS).
 
Planning permission is already in place for the stations, which are located at Kickham Barracks in Clonmel and Gurteenroe in Macroom.

The decision to provide direct Exchequer funding for the stations was taken after consultations involving the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Paschal Donohoe and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Minister for Justice Simon Harris (pictured) said that the decision announced yesterday (16 May) would help to speed up the delivery of the projects.

Consultation

The Justice PPP project will now be solely focused on the development of a family-law courts complex at Hammond Lane.

Detailed plans and layouts for the Hammond Lane building have been received from the OPW.

The plans provide for a five-storey over-basement building, comprising 19 courtrooms, consultation rooms, staff and judicial accommodation, a variety of public waiting areas, space for mediation and domestic violence support services, accommodation for legal practitioners, and custody facilities.

The department said that the plans were generally “positively received” by stakeholders during a consultation exercise carried out by the Courts Service in the final quarter of last year.

It added that a part nine planning application for the project was expected to be submitted “in the coming weeks”, and would be completed ahead of the tendering process.

Minister Helen McEntee had previously said that she hoped to see construction of the new complex begin in 2023, and that it would be open by “2026 at the latest”.