LAST UPDATE | 11 Apr

PLANNING PERMISSION FOR the long-awaited Dublin Family Courts complex at Hammond Lane has been granted. 

Last August, it was reported in the Irish Times that the complex was facing major delays and that construction is not expected to start before 2026. 

The Courts Service today confirmed it is anticipated that construction will commence during 2026 and be completed in 2028. 

In December 2019, eleven organisations called on the Government to immediately allocated funding for the development of the court. 

The groups behind the Courting Disaster campaign said they had formed a coalition to highlight “the archaic conditions in which family law and childcare cases are currently being heard”.

In a statement today, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she recognises that the current facilities in central Dublin at Dolphin House, Chancery Street, Phoenix House and in the Four Courts “do not adequately meet the needs” of children and families navigating the family law process. 

McEntee said the granting of planning permission “marks a major milestone in delivering” the Hammond Lane project. 

“It will be built with the specific needs of family law users in mind and will provide a modern facility where family law cases can be held in a dignified, secure and non-threatening environment with a range of support services at hand,” the Justice Minister said. 

“The new family court complex will provide the infrastructure to support the Family Courts Bill and our ongoing implementation of the Family Justice Strategy, which both recognise that children and families should be at the centre of the system,” she said. 

“These initiatives mark the beginning of the reform of how our family justice system operates, to try to make it work better for everyone engaging with it, but particularly for those who need additional supports and protections, such as domestic violence victims or vulnerable parents and children.”

The planned complex is to comprise 19 court rooms and a number of virtual court rooms, along with mediation and support facilities. 

The public entrance will be located facing Bow Street and Smithfield, with a staff entrance on Church Street and vehicular access on Hammond Lane.