Supreme Court on track to be relocated to dedicated building from 2020

A new building for the court has recently been incorporated into the proposal for a €40 million family and children’s court complex at Hammond Lane in Smithfield, Dublin.

The complex is set to open in 2020 if plans are approved this summer.

As well as the new Supreme Court, the complex will house 21 courtrooms, 30 judge’s chambers and 31 consultation rooms.

Once the move is completed, the Supreme Court rooms in the Four Courts will be used for ceremonial purposes.

A spokesperson for the Courts Service of Ireland told The Irish Times: “When the Four Courts were built Ireland’s de facto Supreme Court was the House of Lords, in London.

“Our new modern, efficient Supreme Court needs to move away from an archaic physical plan from colonial times to a facility which will accommodate the offices, researchers, clerks, judges and courtroom of the Supreme Court, where each has ease of access to the other.”