The "Policy Address" pointed out that the government will continue to expand convention and exhibition facilities and rebuild the three government buildings in Wan Chai North and the land used by the Harbour Fire Station into convention and exhibition facilities, hotels and Grade A office buildings.
The Wan Chai District Court in the current government building will be relocated to the former headquarters of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on Caroline Hill Road in Causeway Bay.
The design of the new court building on Caroline Hill Road has been exposed. There will be 70 courts, a 32% increase over the current one, including the District Court, Family Court and Lands Tribunal.
Information technology and audio-visual equipment will also be deployed in each court, hoping to be used after the amended legislation empowers the court to conduct remote hearings.
The Judiciary plans to consult the Legislative Council on the building plan early next year. If approved, construction will start in the middle of next year and it is expected to be opened in 2027.
The Judiciary proposes to build a new district court building on Caroline Hill Road. It will be designed in a twin-tower style with 70 courtrooms, a 32% increase from the previous time.
(Screenshot of District Council Documents)
According to a document submitted by the Judiciary Administration Office to the Wan Chai District Council, the Judiciary will build a new district court building on Caroline Hill Road, involving a net working floor area of 30,100 square meters.
The District Court, Family Court and the Lands Tribunal in Yau Ma Tei will all be relocated there.
The proposed new District Court Building will have 70 courts, an increase of 32% compared with the current 53 courts, including large criminal courts and criminal and civil courts of different sizes to alleviate the current lack of court facilities. I believe there will be Help cope with the increased number of cases and shorten the waiting time for cases.
The document also stated that each court will be equipped with information technology and audio-visual equipment, and more public seats will be set up in and out of court waiting areas, as well as court hearing broadcast equipment so that more members of the public can attend the hearing.
The Judiciary stated that it is preparing for amendments to give the court greater flexibility to remotely hear suitable criminal cases. The new District Court Building will also cooperate with this development by providing additional space for video conferencing facilities.
The document also stated that three of the larger courts of the Family Court will each have two independent waiting rooms for both parties to the case to use.
In addition, to support the promotion of family mediation services, the building will newly set up special mediation facilities, including dispute mediation rooms and mediation discussion rooms, for use by both parties to the litigation.
The new building will adopt a double-tower design with an overhead bridge between the two towers. The building will have an upper limit of 135 meters above the main level and will gradually decrease in the direction of the current residential buildings.
In response to the development of the district, the government will add additional facilities such as lanes, footpaths, and safety islands. It is expected that the road works will be completed in 2026, one year before the completion of the building.
The Judiciary plans to consult the Legislative Council in the first quarter of next year. If the proposal is passed, the Caroline Hill Road District Court project will start in the middle of next year.
The Wan Chai Government Building will be demolished and a professional team advocates the construction of a sky garden to connect the waterfront and the old town.
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