New courts to open at police station in Spring

The £3.7m project will see a pair of new criminal courtrooms and a custody unit at the station, which will help ease some of the pressure on the current Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

The project is now set to be completed in April this year, when the two new courts will then open their doors for business.

Calls have been made for some time to upgrade the current court on Whytescauseway, and plans were announced in March 2018 to modify the exiasting police station.

Work began last year, with Robertson Construction as the main contractor, and was expected to take eight months, though this has now been stretched to 13 months after delays.

The new courts will aim to make the most of new technology in the day-to-day running of the judicial system, such as video conferencing links for prisons for procedural hearings.

However, despite speculation on the future of the existing Sheriff Court, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) have confirmed that the new courts will continue to operate alongside the new facilities.

However, the smaller Justice of the Peace Court, which sits opposite the police station, will be closed and sold off.

A spokesperson for the SCTS said that the new courts would improve efficiency and offer more flexability.

He said: “The £3.7m project will consist of two new criminal courtrooms and a court custody unit located within the existing Kirkcaldy police station building at St Brycedale Avenue.

“The creation of the new courtrooms will improve efficiency and flexibility in managing day-to-day business increasing the number of courtrooms and providing improved accommodation for court users, including victims, witnesses and jurors.

“The new complex will open for business in April.

“The existing Justice of the Peace Court Annexe will close and will be offered for sale on the open market at a convenient point.”