Work starts on new courts building

Set to be completed by April 2009 the new law court complex will provide state-of-the-art facilities for Salisbury Crown Court, the County Court and the Magistrates' Courts.

The modern, high-profile building will replace existing court facilities in Salisbury Guildhall and at the Combined Courts Centre in St John Street.

Once opened it will lead to the closure of Devizes Magistrates' Court as cases from there will transfer to Salisbury.

The new court centre is being built on a site opposite the Fountain Way Hospital on part of land that was once the car park and recreation ground for the former Old Manor Hospital.

It will be a 44,000 square feet complex, three storeys high and will be built to the highest standard of sustainability, enabling it to achieve the rating of "excellent" by nationally-recognised standards.

The new building is being constructed by Dean and Dyball Developments, the commercial property division of the Dean and Dyball Group. The project is being forward funded by Standard Life Investments and, once built, the court complex will be leased to Her Majesty's Courts Service over a 30-year period.

The project will be placed into Standard Life's £600m long-lease fund, established to provide pension funds with better returns than those being offered by bonds.

Bryan Taylor, developments director for Dean and Dyball, said he was delighted the courts service had selected them.

He said: "The new competitive dialogue process has enabled us to move quickly from being shortlisted to starting on site.

"The combination of our development and construction teams has enabled us to reduce costs for HMCS by maximising value with Standard Life and reducing construction costs through a detailed knowledge of the site and specification."

The company has regional offices across Britain, including its Ringwood headquarters.

Work has started to prepare the site and it is expected that the formal "first sod-cutting ceremony" will take place on October 29.