A third court room will be added to the Albury courthouse to keep up with growing demand as part of its "largest-ever upgrade".
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While NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman couldn't confirm the cost of the upgrade, stating he wanted to keep the tender process competitive, the NSW government has allocated $5 million in the 2020-21 budget towards works.
"At the moment the Olive Street complex has two courthouses, we are going to add a third courthouse," he said while visiting yesterday. "It will be a multi-purpose courthouse with a dock for accused who are in custody, will also be used for local court and tribunal matters as well.
"It will increase the operational capacity from two to three, effectively a 50 per cent increase."
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The tendor will be awarded early next year and Mr Speakman said it would take less than 12 months to complete.
"This is about jobs and justice, it is part of COVID stimulus right across regional NSW, but also about making sure Albury has up-to-date facilities," he said.
"With this upgrade will come a secure passage for police and corrections to bring prisoners to court from the police station. This recognises that Albury is increasingly a major justice hub."
Mr Speakman said Albury Liberal MP Justin Clancy had been pushing for the upgrades since he was elected last year.
Mr Clancy said the multi-million dollar project would be a major boost for the community and came on top of more than $870,000 of recent improvements to the courthouse.
He also said provisions would be made during the design phase to ensure that the courthouse was COVID-safe.
"The two courtrooms are currently at capacity so we will be able to better utilise that space," he said.
