The court house in Bishop Street will close over the summer for maintenance work
Derry courthouse will be close for eight weeks from the end of this legal term and will not reopen until the start of the new term in Septemberr.
Mr Durkan said: ”This decision to completely withdraw court hearings from Derry while this work is carried out has caused alarm and anger among legal professionals and rightly so.
“Should the closure go ahead it will cause huge disruption and potentially great distress to court users, particularly victims and witnesses and compromising their access to justice.
“Furthermore, having to go back and forth to and between Coleraine and Omagh is sure to place a huge pressure on already stretched police resources.
“The fact that there was little consultation, if any, before this decision was announced is not acceptable.
“We are calling on NICTS to explore fully, with others, other options that exist that would allow them to retain services in Derry rather than a complete withdrawal from our Council area.”
