Alloa Sheriff Court to be refurbished from January
18 Dec 07
Work will include building an additional courtroom
Work to refurbish Alloa Sheriff Court and install a second courtroom will start in the new year.
Clackmannanshire Council has accepted the Scottish Court Services (SCS) bid to buy the adjacent council offices at 47 Drysdale Street, currently occupied by revenues services.
SCS has been looking to extend the cramped facilities at the current courthouse to accommodate an increase in business demand and justice reforms. To deal with the current workload, some cases were being heard in Stirling Sheriff Court to reduce delays. The work is expected to take six months to complete.
Following a £1.5 million investment, the new court building will have an additional flexible courtroom on the ground floor. There will also be new public access to the court complex from Drysdale Street, a café operated by the Anthony Nolan Trust, additional witness accommodation, interview rooms and improvements to the public toilets and the custody area.
The complex will also house the area procurator fiscal service, with a separate public entrance. The Citizens Advice Bureau will remain as tenants of SCS at their current address.
Chief executive of SCS, Eleanor Emberson said: "Increasing court capacity at Alloa has been one of our main priorities, as facilities have been unsatisfactory for court users and court staff and the judiciary have had poor working conditions at this location for some time."