Former courts building set to become flats

MLU Properties leading plan for Halton Magistrates’ Court

An eyesore former court building looks set to become flats after plans were given the go-ahead.

Halton Magistrates’ Court next to Runcorn Shopping City has been disused since it was closed in 2017 as part of a national cost-cutting exercise.

An application was submitted last summer to turn two floors of the three-storey site into 10 apartments, and those plans have now been backed by Halton Council planners.

Planning documents state the initial 10 properties would be the first phase, with other phases to come. The scheme has been put forward by Staffordshire based MLU Properties.

A design and access statement submitted in support said the design of the building would employ materials intended to match what was already in place, adding: “however, the existing white UPVC Cladding will be replaced by anthracite grey UPVC.”

It said: “The building as a whole is proposed to be re-purposed instead of erecting a brand new building, this ensures a sustainable design ethos.”

The court was one of 86 closed as part of a review by the Ministry of Justice under the previous Tory government, It said the closures were part of a £700 million ‘modernisation’ plan to ‘make justice more efficient’.

But the move was heavily criticised at the time with the then safer Halton policy and performance board chairman Cllr Dave Thompson branding it ‘shameful’ and claiming the Government had used inaccurate data to justify its decision.

In 2021 a cannabis farm with more than a thousand plants was discovered in the derelict building, which sits next door to Runcorn Police Station.

Since its closure, Runcorn cases are now heard in Warrington, Chester, and other Cheshire courts.

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