THREE new courtrooms were on Tuesday opened in the former NCB building on King Street as part of the expansion of the adjoining Supreme Court building.

The opening of the new courtrooms on the building, which is still undergoing renovation work, was timed to coincide with the start of the Michaelmas Term of the Home Circuit Court.

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, who addressed the opening, did not say when the total renovation work will be completed or when the building will be handed over for full court use.

When the four-storey building is completed, it should house a total of seven courtrooms and judges’ chambers, which will be used for civil proceedings.

Renovation work started on the building in 2011 and has reportedly missed several completion deadlines.

With the opening of the three courtrooms, civil cases will no longer be held at the downtown Kingston-based Jamaica Conference Centre.

The multimillion-dollar expansion of the court is part of a wider plan to create a more effective justice system.