Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre

Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre
Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre
Location	Llanberis Road, Caernarfon
Coordinates	53°08′25″N4°15′51″W / 53.1403°N 4.2643°W / 53.1403; -4.2643 Coordinates: 53°08′25″N4°15′51″W / 53.1403°N 4.2643°W / 53.1403; -4.2643
Built	2009
Architect	Austin-Smith:Lord
Architectural style(s)	Modernist style
Shown in Gwynedd

The Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, in Llanberis Road, Caernarfon, Wales.

History

Until the early 21st century, criminal court hearings in Caernarfon were held in the County Hall at Castle Ditch. ^[1] However, as the number of court cases in Caernarfon grew, it became necessary to commission a more modern courthouse for criminal matters: the site selected in Llanberis Road had been occupied by Segontium School, which had dated from 1912 but which had closed in 2005. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Work on the new building started in May 2007, when the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, cut the first sod. ^{[5] [6]} It was designed by Austin-Smith:Lord in the Modernist style, ^{[7] [8]} built by Balfour Beatty in dark blue and red brick at a cost of £12 million and was completed in May 2009. ^{[9] [10]}

The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto Llanberis Road. The plan involved two wings, one intended for the offices and the other for the courtrooms. ^[11] The left hand section section was built in dark blue brick and was fenestrated with single, bi-partite and tri-partite casement windows on two floors, while the right hand section, which was projected forward, was built in red brick and featured a grey stone-clad portico on the left with Royal coat of arms at first floor level above, and a large expanse of glazing on the right. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate four courtrooms. ^[12] The design was commended in the BREEAM Awards for Wales in 2009. ^[13]

The building was subsequently sold to London & Capital Group and leased back from that company under a private developer scheme initiative. ^[14]

Notable cases included the trial and conviction of Colin Milburn, in November 2022, for the murder of his long-term partner, Buddug Jones. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. Cadw. "County Hall, Caernarfon (3828)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
2. "End of an era as historic Caernarfon Crown Court hears last cases". Daily Post. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
3. "New Courts at Caernarfon". www.caernarfononline.co.uk. 13 July 2006. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
4. Hughes, T. Meirion. "Segonyium School". Caernarfon Memory Lane. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
5. "Justice served in May". Daily Post. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
6. "Welsh only juries likely". Daily Post. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
7. Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019). The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity. Taylor and Francis. ISBN   978-0429558689.
8. "Awards" (PDF). Austin-Smith:Lord. p. 3. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
9. "Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre". Curtins. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
10. "End of an era as historic Caernarfon Crown Court hears last cases". 2 May 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
11. Wallsgrove, Jon (2019). The Architecture of Law Courts. Paragon Publishing. p. 159. ISBN   978-1782227021.
12. "Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre". Daily Post. City Heart. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
13. "BREEAM Awards for Wales in 2009". BRE Global Limited. p. 7. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
14. "Balfour Kilpatrick wins court project in Wales". Modern Building Services. 9 March 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
15. "Buddug Jones murder: Partner Colin Milburn found guilty". BBC News. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
16. "Colin Milburn jailed for life for murdering partner Buddug Jones". Daily Post. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.