Frequently asked questions

The City of London Corporation is leading the Salisbury Square Development, working closely with the City of London Police and HM Courts and Tribunals Service as the future tenants of the two principal buildings.

The project will be funded by the City of London Corporation in part by the disposal of the existing court and police facilities, and in part by the provision of new commercial space.

The planning application was approved by the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee on Thursday 22 April 2021. Our intention is to start on site towards the end of 2021.

The two buildings which incorporate the Civil Court, Mayor’s and City of London County Court and City of London Magistrates’ Court are listed heritage assets and have been modified over time to accommodate changing requirements. However, they are no longer suitable for an effective 21st century justice system which has seen huge technological advancements to combat the evolving nature of crime. The aspiration for these buildings once they are vacant will be to make the very best use of their history and heritage.

Two of the City of London Police’s existing buildings have been sold to help fund the Salisbury Square Development, with a police facility for the public being maintained around Bishopsgate. Police forces up and down the country are undergoing similar estate rationalisations to keep up with technology and modern policing practices and provide fit-for-purpose facilities within more centralised locations, ensuring an efficient and effective service.

HMCTS and the CoLP will share a security-controlled basement, building servicing and core to create efficiencies through the build process and in the day-to-day running of the facilities. However, it is also very important to create discrete and separated journeys through the building for different user groups – just one of the complexities of designing a civic hub in this way.

In July we shared our initial vision for the estate for the first time and asked for feedback on our emerging design concepts. This feedback has helped to shape the more detailed plans we are sharing as part of this second phase of consultation.

Feedback was collected through an online questionnaire, email, freephone number and through virtual and in-person meetings with amenity groups, business groups, office workers and politicians.

The feedback collected was then reviewed by the project team as they developed the more detailed proposals that we are consulting on currently.