Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
78. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Justice if her attention has been drawn to the need to clean and carry out minor repairs to the old courthouse façade in Wicklow town (details supplied); her views on whether this work can be prioritised in the coming months to coincide with the large investment in the town square; and her views on the proposed return of court services to this building. [16082/22]
View answerI want to ask about Wicklow town courthouse, which is currently out of use. It really does need attention and to have remedial work done to it. It is detracting from the town centre, where there has been a lot of investment. Is the Minister of State aware of the work that is needed there and can he update us on what the long-term plans are for the currently unused Wicklow town courthouse?
I thank the Deputy for raising this important question about the Wicklow courthouse. The National Development Plan 2021-2030, which was approved and published by the Government in October 2021, commits to the provision of further new or refurbished courthouses in cities and county towns where facilities remain substandard, including in Wicklow town. While the management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in the exercise of its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998, I sought an update on this matter and the Courts Service has provided me with the following.
The historic courthouse in Wicklow town has been closed for a number of years for health and safety reasons due to the poor state of repair of the annexe and interior. Court sittings and the court office have transferred to Bray. The Courts Service has acquired additional space adjacent to the courthouse which could facilitate the refurbishment and extension of the building to provide a county town standard courthouse. The timing of the delivery will depend on the availability of funding over the remainder of the period of the national development plan.
I understand that Wicklow County Council has asked if the courthouse could be used for some other purpose while awaiting refurbishment. The Courts Service advises me that this is, unfortunately, not feasible as it would take considerable investment to make the building safe to use for any purpose. The Courts Service has, however, agreed to allow the council to use the adjacent vacated library building, which the Courts Service owns, for community use until such time as the refurbishment project commences. In addition, the Courts Service informs me that a meeting was held with the council on 26 January at which it was agreed that the Courts Service would request the OPW to assess the building and outline the costs involved in preserving its external and aesthetic appearance. Further to this, the Courts Service has requested the OPW to carry out improvement works, such as painting the railings and doors, and other general maintenance, such as weeding. The timing of this is dependent on the OPW’s capacity in the locality. The Courts Service informs me that it is endeavouring to have these works carried out as soon as possible.
That is quite positive news and I am glad to hear it. I do not know if the Minister or the Minister of State is familiar with Wicklow town but there is a beautiful market square which has seen significant investment under the town and village renewal scheme and the rural regeneration scheme. The Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and Darragh O'Brien, were there during last summer. There is just this one southern aspect of the square which really lets it down and, unfortunately, that is the courthouse. We had a look at it and I met with the Wicklow town team. I am not looking for the courthouse to be used for an alternative purpose, although there would be plenty of community options there. I am not looking for significant refurbishment works to be done on the inside. It is a simple job just to try to clean it up, paint it and maybe give it a little uplighting. It is that fourth side of the square that is really letting it down. Should I take this up with the OPW to try to ensure that funding and works are carried out in a timely manner?
I again thank the Deputy for his question. I am familiar with Wicklow town, a very beautiful town, so I understand his concern when there is that one building standing out that needs a little bit of tender care to bring it up to at least looking the part. The Deputy should raise the matter with the OPW but he can also continue to bring it up with us and we can bring it to the attention of the Courts Service. It is a matter for the Courts Service, working with the OPW, to get those improvement works carried out as soon as possible. As I said in the context of painting the railings and doors and other general maintenance, such as weeding, this is dependent on the OPW. In the first instance, the Deputy should contact the OPW. If he has any further concerns, he can raise them with us.
I thank the Minister of State. I will take that up with the OPW. This issue is incredibly important, in particular when we have dereliction and vacant buildings in our towns. To be fair, the Government has produced some really good policy documents in Our Rural Future and Town Centre First, and in many of the aspects of Housing for All. When it is the State that is the owner of the building, I am of the view that we have an extra responsibility to ensure it does not detract visually from the town and that it does not impact visually in such a way as to damage the economic benefits to the town. Going on what the Minister of State has said, and I welcome his statement, I will engage further with the OPW. I look forward to seeing that work carried out in a timely manner.
I again thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Coming from a historic town myself, I know the importance of these public buildings and having them kept in a presentable manner. We are very proud of our historical towns and, as the Deputy has said, a lot of great work has been carried out with funding from this Government in terms of getting those towns looking as well as possible. In some ways, that means that a couple of buildings in our historic towns that are not up to scratch stand out even more. I ask the Deputy to raise the matter with the OPW. There seem to be positive indications from there.
