Deal to allow return to Oamaru courthouse

The Oamaru courthouse on Thames St. Photo ODT
The Oamaru courthouse on Thames St. Photo ODT
The Oamaru District Court is set to return to its old home in the 132-year-old Oamaru courthouse on Thames St.

The courthouse was closed in November 2011 following concerns it would not be safe in an earthquake.

In August 2014, court services were relocated to a porta-court in Humber St where they remain.

The Otago Daily Times understands an agreement with the Waitaki District Council around returning to the old courthouse had been reached.

Waitaki mayor Gary Kircher said in December his preferred option was that the council would buy the courthouse, strengthen it and lease it back to the Ministry of Justice for court use.

Mr Kircher said today he was pleased there had been "positive progress" on the matter, but declined to comment further until after the official announcement, expected later today.

After the courthouse was closed, criminal court was transferred to Timaru briefly, and in March 2012 was transferred to the Oamaru Opera House, before going to Humber St.

A 2013 Ministry of Justice estimate for the cost of strengthening work at the Oamaru courthouse was between $1 million and $2 million - too high for a court that operated less than a day a week on average, the ministry said.

An independent report commissioned by Oamaru lawyer Bill Dean put the cost of strengthening the building to a new-building standard closer to $350,000.

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