A large flat in the Old Bailey is to be divided into two after the staff member overseeing the running of the court was left with nowhere to stay.
The Keeper, who manages the day-to-day running of the Grade-II* listed Central Criminal Court, has been unable to reside in their designated property due to it being used to accommodate judges.
Recently-approved plans by the City of London Corporation however intend to rectify this by splitting the large fourth floor flat up.
According to the proposal, the living room will be subdivided into two bedrooms with a full shower room between them.
“Both bedrooms are proposed [to] have built-in furniture to allow for storage, double bed sleeping and spaces for work,” the application states. “The idea being that there will be minimal need for re-arranging or ‘resetting’ between uses, and the spaces will be comfortable, private and functional for users.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the subdividing of the flat will mean that moving forward there will be additional overnight accommodation for staff, primarily security though also including the likes of judges, to ensure there is adequate personnel to cover for the courts and events.
The alteration is also taking place in the least important part of the building from a historic perspective.
All five flats in the Old Bailey are used for operational purposes with none commercially let out. It is not clear where the Keeper has been staying during this time.
Owned and administered by the City of London Corporation, the Old Bailey is one of several buildings housing the Crown Court.
A courthouse has existed on the site since the 16th century. The present building was restored and enlarged following an air-raid in 1941 and latterly in the 1960s and 1970s after damage from an IRA car bomb.
It has hosted a number of famous trials over the years, including Oscar Wilde, the Kray twins and Peter Sutcliffe.
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