Information published on court house disposals progress

Details have been obtained by the BBC of what has been happening to the 10 former sheriff court houses across Scotland, closed under the court reorganisation programme between November 2013 and January 2015.

A freedom of information request has revealed that one property (Dornoch) has been sold to a private buyer, and at Kirkcudbright a sale is due to complete by January 2016; two (Cupar and Haddington) have been transferred or are expected to transfer to the local authority, while a similar proposed arrangement for the court house at Duns has fallen through; and two more (Peebles and Rothesay) have had leases from the local authority terminated. In Arbroath and Stonehaven local community groups are interested in acquiring the buildings; and the building in Dingwall is on the market for sale.

The Scottish Courts & Tribunal Service has said that the disposal programme, which was expected to take a number of years, is ahead of schedule.