Work could start later next month putting a ''portacourt'' on a site in Oamaru now a location has been found, but Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher still views it as a temporary solution.
''Our prime focus is still getting [court] back into the old building. I see this [portacourt] as strictly temporary,'' he said yesterday.
The portacourt will go on about a quarter of the Oamaru Licensing Trust car park in the southern corner fronting Humber St. The fully functional portable building is being brought from Rangiora as a replacement for the historic Oamaru Courthouse, closed in November 2011 as an earthquake risk, and instead of the temporary use of the Oamaru Opera House for hearings.
It has been fully set up as a court building and has a court room, officers' room, judge's chambers, reception-waiting area and suitable computer networking, along with separate cells. Toilets will be added.
Courts Minister Chester Borrows said the car park was not the first site considered and required some changes to building plans, which had also been completed.
Before the end of the month, the ministry would apply for resource consent from the council, which would have to be considered within 20 working days.
Mr Borrows hoped, because of the constructive way the council and wider Oamaru community had worked with the ministry, consideration of the consent could be completed before that time.
If the process went smoothly, locating the building and connecting to services could start later next month.
The court sits in Oamaru four days a month, operating as a hearing centre. Court administration was transferred from Oamaru to Timaru from May 1 last year.
Mr Kircher described the site as a ''win-win''.
One site considered was the Eden St car park, but the council and nearby businesses felt that was unsuitable.
Other alternatives were looked at, including the offer from the trust of part of its Humber St car park.
Because of the number and types of businesses in the area, along with the limited number of days the court was sitting, it was felt this was more suitable.
''The other win is the trust, a community organisation, gets the rental,'' he said.
Mr Kircher said that, within the constraints of the Resource Management Act and other applications already received, the council was motivated to ''make it happen as soon as possible''.
