Court shut due to RAAC set to close for good

A court building in Blackpool closed last year as a safety precaution has been permanently condemned – leaving the town without any such facility for at least two years.

Blackpool Magistrates’ and County Court was one of eight buildings across the country closed last year after being found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The building had already been scheduled to close permanently ahead of the opening of new court premises, but engineers have now said it is not worth spending the money that would have been required to reopen the existing site.

All cases will continue to be heard in other Lancashire towns, but given Blackpool’s status as one of the most deprived areas in the UK, there will be concerns about how feasible it is for court users to travel there.

Hearing the MOJ has decided Blackpool magistrates court is so riddled with Raac that there's no point fixing it. Until the new court is built you'll have the poorest people in England making 1-2hr journeys by public transport to Lancaster or Blackburn. Expect a lot more no shows.

— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) January 17, 2024

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: ‘Having considered value for money to the taxpayer, we have decided to close the existing Blackpool Magistrates’ and County Court buildings permanently, also helping to expedite the delivery of the new £300m Blackpool Central scheme. We’ll provide the community with a modern, state-of-the-art court building fit for the future from early 2026.

‘In the meantime, all hearings will be moved to other court buildings in Lancashire to minimise disruption – supported by the recent re-opening of Preston Magistrates’ Court and the expansion of Lancaster Magistrates.’

The MoJ said the ‘overwhelming majority’ of people will be able to travel to alternative locations within a ‘reasonable’ timeframe.

The existing site in Blackpool was closed in November so investigations into the extent of RAAC could be carried out.

Preston Magistrates’ Court was also closed for the same reason but is now fully reopened with five courtrooms and two tribunal hearing rooms.

Work is taking place at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court to enable the custody suite to reopen and provide two courtrooms to hear custodial cases by end of February 2024.

• Meanwhile in London, the Rolls Building has partially reopened after being closed a week ago because of a power outage. HM Courts & Tribunals Service said that sittings have resumed in a ‘small number of courts’ after power was restored to some of the building’s floors. The Gazette understands the building should be running normally by the end of this week.