Ms Nicola Matthews:

I thank the committee for the invitation. I am based in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We responded to the request that was made. Our first point is that the sensitive adaptation of court buildings to allow them to continue to serve as courthouses should be the first consideration.

Alongside the impacts of climate change and the focus on the reuse of buildings, making these buildings redundant and moving an important civic function out of a town, usually to the periphery, can have a detrimental effect on a town centre's vitality. It the decision is made that a courthouse cannot continue to fulfil its original function, we advocate the importance of it continuing in public use, such as a suitable community use. There are many successful examples throughout the country of reused courthouses. I will provide information to show work that has been carried out by the Courts Service with the OPW on adapting buildings and reusing them.

Part 4 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect architectural heritage by including particular structures on their respective records of protected structures. Many of our courts and courthouse buildings are included in the records of protected structures. Such inclusion places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of the buildings as well as giving planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them. The architectural conservation officers in local authorities can provide advice and support on the conservation and reuse of historic buildings.

With regard to the wider thinking on reuse and adaptation, there are key points worthy of consideration. The collection of courthouses and courts represents an important built heritage legacy as many of the buildings were designed by eminent architects of the day, employing the best of traditional craftsmanship skills and using high-quality materials. The buildings are often among the core buildings in Irish towns and cities and reflect the evolution of the legislative system in Ireland and the impact they have had on society. The buildings encapsulate an important primary social record. The abandonment of court buildings and courts removes an important function and a point of social interaction in town centres and this should be considered. Any decision to abandon these buildings should be carefully considered in this context by suitably qualified conservation architects and should be based on an assessment of the significance of the site, the condition of the building fabric and its potential for repair, upgrade and need.

With the impacts of climate change becoming pronounced, the use of historic buildings is no longer just a cultural heritage issue but also one of mitigation based on the well-considered reuse and adaptation of existing cultural resources due to their embodied energy, craftsmanship and materials. Many examples of good practice can be drawn on that show how high-quality design may be considered in the context of historic buildings and their sites, which will unlock their potential and sustain their long-term use. I will provide the list of Ireland's courthouses in the Irish architectural archive that shows the range of them we have. The Courts Service database shows new, old, adapted and extended court buildings. I thank the committee and I am happy to answer questions.