Bishop Street Courthouse modernisation will cost tens of millions says Court Service director

Mr. Glyn Capper told a briefing of the Stormont Justice Committee modernisation of the historic building was one of three major capital projects being progressed by NICTS.

The modernisation of the Royal Courts of Justice and refurbishment of the old town hall in Belfast are also being pursued.

Mr. Capper said the projects will be ‘subject to business case approval and funding’.

"We are also looking at the cost of modernising Bishop Street courthouse up in Derry/Londonderry, which, again, whilst not of the same scale as the Royal Courts of Justice project, is also in the tens of millions.

"The first piece is to secure that funding by developing the most robust business cases to make a really good argument for it.

"We are working closely with departmental colleagues as we outline our funding requirements for next year and beyond. So we are making as strong a case as we can for funding for those transformation programmes to the Department and from the Department to the Department of Finance,” said the courts service director.

The imposing building in Bishop Street was originally designed by the Dublin architect John Bowden who was also the architect of Foyle College, ‘The Pepper Canister’ (St. Stephen’s Church in Mount Street in Dublin) and Antrim Castle.

It was described as ‘one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the north’ when completed in 1817.

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