Councillors have unanimously approved an application from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to convert a disused office in Reading into a tribunals court.
Three-storey Sovereign House in Vastern Road, a 3,100 sq m, 1990s building, has been vacant since Desklodge moved out of it a year ago.
But councillors at Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee were keen to allow the new use at its September 10 meeting.
Under its new use class, F1(g) (law court), the building will have with seven tribunal hearing rooms and 10 judicial offices.
There will also be a judicial lounge, medical room, a claimants’ waiting room, respondents’ waiting room, seven consulting rooms, server room and a security office.
Externally, the MoJ will fit a new ramped entrance to the west of the building for staff and judiciary use and modifications to the front entrance to create level access.
Cllr Richard Davies said: “This building has been boarded up for a while so it’s good to see it coming forward and coming forward for a community, civic use.”
However the car parking at the rear will be for staff only and Cllr Andrew Hornsby-Smith said there would need to be provision of public disabled spaces since those attending tribunals would likely include people who have been discriminated against through their disability.
The committee agreed to approach the MoJ about allowing some spaces on those occasions.
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