A Kerry TD and a member of the Tralee MD have branded proposed moves to relocate Tralee Courthouse to the former Denny site in the town as an example of “not listening to people”.

Current proposals see the Courts Services set to develop a new courthouse at the Island of Geese - a green field site in the town which was gifted to the people of Tralee by Kerry Group.

Up until 2008 the​​​​​​ Denny bacon factory operated on the site.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae and Tralee Independent Tralee MD councillor Sam Locke have written to the Minister for Justice seeking a video call meeting between the Kerry Oireachtas members and the elected members of the Tralee MD to urgently discuss new proposals.

“In 2016 Reddy A+U were commissioned by Kerry County Council to prepare a masterplan for a 42,000m square site. The informal consultation process on this site drew 800 submissions from members of the public in 2016. Not a single person wanted a relocation of the courthouse to the site. So what do we do? We ignore the whole process and plan to move the Courthouse. It’s beyond belief,” Deputy Michael Healy-Rae said.

Cllr Sam Locke said that the Tralee Courthouse could remain in Ashe St if the Government explored the opportunities in the vacant buildings adjacent to the current site for office spaces for the courthouse and if they made an effort to tackle the complaints about lack of wheelchair access once and for all.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae concluded by saying it “was a case of history repeating itself as the whole situation was becoming a ‘shambles’, which was how the Ordnance Survey map dating from 1878 described the area. Things haven’t changed much, since then.”