Coroner's court gets a new home after £300,000 revamp

HULL Coroner's Court opens its doors in a new home today after a move from Essex House.

The court is now based at the Guildhall in Alfred Gelder Street, following a 300,000 refurbishment of facilities there.

They are designed to provide a modern, friendly feel for staff and visitors while being sympathetic to the listed building elements of the Guildhall.

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Facilities include a large courtroom with seating for up to 80 people and a secondary courtroom for smaller sessions, and improvements have seen original wood panelling, benches and chairs restored and original tiles cleaned.

Coroner Geoffrey Saul said: "The new accommodation at the Guildhall is a vast improvement, it offers a good balance to the needs of the building and our needs to deliver a service.

"It's important we meet the needs of the customers visiting the courts as we seek to deal sensitively with the inquests we hear."

Andy Brown, head of customer services at Hull Council, said: "The new accommodation at the Guildhall has larger courts and better facilities for people visiting the coroner's service, including families, witnesses, jurors and the press."

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He added: "The accommodation at Essex House for the court wasn't of an acceptable standard to offer the excellent environment we want for our customers, staff and the coroner himself."

The move is part of the council's wider "buildings rationalisation" programme to utilise space and save money, and means the council will no longer pay for the lease of facilities at Essex House.