Inadequate: not enough space for rooms, counsel and papers in Business Court, say critics




Plans for London's Business Court were lambasted last week as inadequate for a major international legal centre.



Several of those attending a presentation by the Courts Service on the proposed building - which will be based in Fetter Lane and replace the commercial, admiralty, and technology and construction courts in 2010 - were worried that all but one of its courtrooms would be too small for multi-party actions, particularly when junior and leading counsel are involved.



Tony Guise, chairman of the Commercial Litigation Association, said: 'The new [court] must be properly resourced. We are concerned that the current plans only envisage one super-court. This cannot be adequate for a major international centre.'



Mr Guise contrasted the plans with Manchester's new civil courts centre, which has four super-courts, saying of London: 'It is difficult to understand the rationale for one of the leading centres for dispute resolution having such limited provision for hearing cases of global significance.'



Seamus Smyth, partner at Carter Lemon Camerons and treasurer of the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), said the LSLA was more concerned that the plans seemed to include no catering facilities, not enough distance between counsels' desks and little room for paper documents.



'Planners are assuming reduced requirement for paper documents by 2010 and increased use of digital documents. If the system is not capable of dealing with document-intensive cases digitally, then there is not enough room for paper documents,' said Mr Smyth.



The Courts Service said the size and number of Business Court courtrooms had been settled after extensive consultation and insisted that the new building 'will offer enough courts of the right size'.



The Supreme Court, due to open in 2009, is also slowly moving forward. Lord Falconer announced last week that the government is resubmitting its planning application for the court's new London home at Middlesex Guildhall, following an appeal by SAVE Britain's Heritage.



Rupert White