Borough High Street’s ‘Nightingale Court’ to stay open till 2023
A temporary crown court opened in a Borough High Street conference centre during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended for a further year.
Prospero House opposite Borough Underground Station will continue to provide three overflow courtrooms for Southwark Crown Court, having opened in Summer 2020 as one of the Government's first 'Nightingale Courts' to help clear the backlog of cases exacerbated by the pandemic.
"Nightingale Courts continue to be a valuable weapon in the fight against the pandemic's unprecedented impact on our courts providing temporary extra capacity," said justice minister James Cartlidge.
"Combined with other measures – such as removing the cap on Crown Court sitting days, more use of remote hearings, and increasing magistrate sentencing powers – we are beginning to see the backlog drop so victims can get the speedier justice they deserve."
Prospero House occupies the former Post Office and Royal Mail sorting office on Borough High Street.
Meanwhile nearby Inner London Crown Court has been using space at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand to hear some cases that would otherwise be heard at the Newington Causeway courthouse.
