Portal Set Up So People Can Share Their Views On Tralee Courthouse Issue

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Anluan Dunne

AN online portal for people to express their view on the future of the courthouse building on Ashe Street has been set up.

The Green Party Chairperson in Kerry, Anluan Dunne, has set up the portal in the hopes that people will share their views.

The Courts Service has expressed their wish that a new courthouse be built in the town, rather than invest in renovating the current building.

“The people of the town are not being heard on this matter,” said Mr Dunne, who is also the party’s Tralee representative.

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“To address this, I have created an online portal for people to express their opinion, the result of which I will publish on social media in October. I encourage the people of Tralee to share their views. The portal can be accessed at the following link until the 1st of October at 5PM http://anluan.ie/courthouse.”

“This is not a political issue, and it should not be seen as such. We must all work together to maintain our town’s heritage. Abandonment is not a viable option,” he added.

The Green Party Chairperson in Kerry said he has been working behind the scenes to have Tralee Courthouse re-assessed by the Department of Heritage to continue its use by the Courts Service.

Following regular contact with Minister Malcolm Noonan, Mr Dunne pushed for the Department of Heritage to look again at the building.

Mr Dunne said: “It is my understanding that Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan is of the view that Tralee Courthouse is a significant heritage building of importance to the town centre. He asked that the department would form an opinion on it and how it might be adapted as a modern court building as has been done in other locations. He visited the courthouse a few weeks ago in an informal capacity and said that it was a really impressive building to have in the heart of an Irish town.”

“It is unacceptable that we are asking private property owners to maintain and regenerate our town centre buildings while the Courts Service and County Council are effectively abandoning one of the most impressive heritage buildings in the town. I do not accept that it is not possible to reuse the existing building as I know we have the architectural talent in Ireland to produce a solution,” concluded Mr Dunne.