The government plans to keep the whole structure of the long-vacant Old Courthouse in the city centre intact, according to the proposed legal development conditions for the plot on which the listed building and the adjacent former Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters are situated, which were published by the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) on Monday.
According to the proposed legal development conditions, a part of the façade of the former PJ headquarters will be kept intact.
The government first announced in August that it has decided not to go ahead with the controversial project by its predecessor to redevelop the Old Courthouse in Avenida da Praia Grande into the city’s new central library and that the building, which is officially listed as a cultural heritage site under the category of “buildings with architectural interest”, will house judicial facilities such as the Court of Final Appeal (TUI).
Currently, the Court of Final Appeal shares a building with the Court of Second Instance (TSI) in the Nam Van Lake district.
After the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau has drafted the legal development conditions for particular plots, for both public and private projects, they will then be uploaded to its website for residents to submit their opinions and suggestions. After collecting residents’ opinions and suggestions, the legal development conditions will then be discussed in a regular meeting of the Urban Planning Council (CPU) – a consultative body tasked with advising the government on its urban planning policies.
The legal development conditions for the plot on which the Old Courthouse and the adjacent former PJ headquarters are situated were uploaded to the bureau’s website on Monday for residents to submit opinions and suggestions.
The Judiciary Police moved to its current new headquarters in Zape several years ago.
The legal development conditions for the plot propose that the plot will be used as a law court.
The legal development conditions divide the plot in four areas, namely A, B, C and D. Area A covers the Old Courthouse, while Area B and Area C cover the former PJ headquarters, and Area D is the outdoor area between the Old Courthouse and the adjacent Praia Grande Commercial Centre.
Area B is a small area running along the façade of the former PJ headquarters in Rua do Padre Luís Fróis S.J. and along the façade in the east section along Rua de Central, while Area C runs along the façade in the west section along Rua Central and covers the remaining internal part of the former PJ headquarters.
According to the legal development conditions, the government proposes that the whole structure of the building in Area A will be kept intact, with no increase in its height.
According to the legal development conditions, the government proposes that the façade in Area B will be kept intact, with no any increase in its height.
According to the legal development conditions, the government proposes a maximum height of 27.9 metres above the sea level for the structure in Area C.
Vehicles stop at a traffic light-controlled crossing in front of the Old Courthouse in Avenida da Praia Grande earlier this year.
Photo: GCS
