Huddersfield’s County Court looks set to stay put.
Developers last week unveiled huge plans to convert the three-storey office block – Queensgate House – into 156 student flats.
They said the building on the ring road – which handles non-criminal trials such as ‘small claims court’ – would be raised to seven storeys tall and re-fitted as high end digs.
The plan, submitted to Kirklees Council in the past few weeks, claimed the County Court’s lease expired at the end of December.
The news sparked fears that the court was the latest to be shut down following in the wake of closure of a host of magistrates courts in West Yorkshire.
But the Ministry of Justice has now confirmed it is hoping the court will remain at the premises – which it has occupied since the building was constructed in the early 1990s.
A spokesperson confirmed they were currently trying to negotiate a new lease to stay at Queensgate House where they occupy two of the three floors.
They said: “We have a world-leading legal system and are investing more than £1 billion to reform and digitise our courts to deliver swifter justice.
“We currently have no plans to exit the building.”
Naresh Abrol, a director at Union Property Services who submitted the planning application, confirmed he expected a deal to be done.
He told the Examiner: “At the moment we’re in negotiations with them to extend the lease.
“Nothing’s been signed yet so if they don’t stay then we will try and do the student flats.”
