Closure of Kells Court confirmed

The closure of Kells District Court has been confirmed by Board of the Courts Service in a statement issued today.
While a date for the closure has not yet been announced, the court service has stated that it will be before the end of the year. It is expected cases from Kells Court will be transferred to Navan.
It emerged last December that the Court Service had identified Kells as one of a number of court venues around the country being considered for closure, subject to detailed assessment.
This prompted a furious reaction in the local community, amid claims that the loss of the local court would cause huge inconvenience to the public in Kells and would have a detrimental effect on local business.
Following today's announcement confirming the closure, a Spokesman for the Courts Service said: “The closure of any courthouse is regrettable, as inevitable some inconvenience is involved for the public, legal practitioners and others who use the courts. However, the closure of court venues and the transfer of business to larger courthouses which have excellent facilities, generates savings in day to day running costs and ensures that more long-term expenditure on general upkeep, maintenance and refurbishment is concentrated on venues with justifiable caseloads.  More importantly, such moves tend to free up judicial and staff time to deal with more cases, over full days, in busier locations.”
Kells Court sits three days per month in a a converted premises in the old Meath VEC building in the town.                                                              Until the 1990s, the court was held in the purpose-built Kells Courthouse on the Dublin Road, which was built in the early 1800s and is now home to the Kells Heritage Centre.                                                                       Following the closure of Athboy and Oldcastle Courts in recent years, these cases were transferred to Kells Court.