Project tracker:
City of London Law Courts
In October 2017 Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, part of the Ministry of Justice, and the City of London Corporation, the local authority for the Square Mile, announced a joint scheme to build a new courthouse and a new headquarters for City of London Police on a site in Fleet Street. Replacing multiple existing buildings, the project would consolidate functions and provide up-to-date facilities for everyday and specialised work. A commercial office building was later added to the mix. This page is a gateway to my research, analysis and conclusions relating to the City of London Law Courts and the wider Salisbury Square development. My lost blog posts on the subject, which started in early 2019, have been recovered and are re-presented here to chart my contemporaneous reaction to the scheme so far. Articles will be added as it progresses.
2019 Concept
18 February – In the dock
Assessing Eric Parry, the chosen architect; speculating on the programme; visiting the site; providing context on courthouse design principles, illustrated with recent examples
2020 Planning
30 July – Court short
Looking at the first public consultation; thinking about the added office component; the scope of demolition; considering alleyways old and new; more on the role of digital technology in courts; first thoughts on Eric Parry’s designs
4 October – Either-way case
Examining imagery and intentions released for the second consultation; commenting further on the architecture; the impact of security and Covid; concerns over transparency and weighting within the scheme
2021 Planning
12 February – Pre-sentence report
The full planning application in detail; concerns, queries and contradictions continue
16 March – Off with its head
Reporting the reduction in height of the courthouse, and why
2022 Construction
4 February – Adjourned sine die
Demolition and construction firms are picked; a curious yet revealing promotional film is pondered
26 October – Statutory declaration
It's the unveiling of the foundation stone(s), by a dignatory who then left his post