Justice Ministry spends $184 million on new site for Manchester Parish Court

Following the fire which damaged the Manchester Parish Court last November, Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck has revealed that the Government has paid $184 million for its new location and is currently doing the architectural design for the building. 

The early-morning blaze damaged parts of the upper floor of the two-storey structure, with the initial assessment revealing that the damage was confined to a judge's chambers and its immediate precincts.

The estimated cost of the damage was $35 million.

The new location, according to Chuck, was owned by the Southern Regional Health Authority and is located in the precincts of the town of Mandeville.

“We had a hard time finding an appropriate location … . We are now in the process of doing the necessary architectural design and in short order, we are hoping that we can sign off on what the complex will look like, and once it is signed off, then we hope Cabinet will approve a budget to have it built,” Chuck said in an interview with The Gleaner. 

As a result of the fire, all cases were transferred to other courts in the parish, and the staff, who were initially housed under a tent on the compound of the courthouse, were later relocated to James Warehouse Plaza on South Race Course Road in Mandeville.

- Danae Hyman

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