New North Shore court opens

The North Shore District Court's new $18 million courthouse will open in Albany today to replace the dilapidated Takapuna facility.

The new court, on the corner of Don McKinnon Drive and Corinthian Drive, will provide six courtrooms and six tenancy and disputes tribunal hearing rooms to cover communities living between Devonport and Orewa.

The Department for Courts has described the leased courthouse in Takapuna, which closed on Friday, as "cramped, overcrowded and not up to standard".

The new courthouse is expected to handle around 17,000 criminal and civil cases in the coming year.