The new Business Court, due to open in 2010, will not now be ready until the following year, the Gazette has learned.

The new court will replace the Commercial and other courts currently working from St Dunstan’s House in Fetter Lane in the City of London. It will be sited in the new Rolls Building, now under construction in ­Fetter Lane.

HM Courts Service said that the previous completion date of 2010 was determined ‘before work was started’ and that any completion date of a building project is ‘always uncertain’. A press officer said no exact new completion date could be given but HMCS is ‘confident it will be in 2011’.

However, representatives of the commercial litigation community were told last week that the project was only slightly delayed and was still on track for delivery in October 2010.

Tony Guise, chairman of the Commercial Litigation Association and one of those told last week that the project was on track, said he was ‘dismayed’ at the news. ‘If this is right, the latest delay serves only to further undermine London’s reputation as a dispute resolution centre of choice.’