EAST Lothian Council could take ownership of the Haddington Sheriff Court building when it shuts its doors in the New Year.

Negotiations have been ongoing between the local authority and the Scottish Court Service (SCS) about the future of the building (pictured above right).

The court is due to close for good at the end of January, with court business moving along the A1 to Edinburgh.

The future use of the building remains unclear, with previous rumours suggesting it could be transformed into housing.

Now, an SCS spokeswoman has confirmed that talks with the local authority are ongoing.

She said: “The Scottish Court Service has been liaising with East Lothian Council on the future of Haddington Sheriff Court and both parties are working towards a transfer of the property to the council after court closure.” An East Lothian Council spokeswoman echoed that comment but stressed no decision had been made on the future use of the building, on the town’s Court Street.

It comes at the same time as leaflets highlighting the impending closure of the court are being circulated in the building.

The leaflets are another blow to any faint hopes of retaining the sheriff and justice of the peace courts.

The leaflets, which can be found in the sheriff clerks office, state: “Haddington Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court will close on January 31, 2015, and all business will transfer to Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court.

“If you have any reason to attend or contact the court after January 31, 2015, you must do so at Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court, Sheriff Court House, 27 Chambers Street, Edinburgh.” A number of cases have already been continued to the Capital, despite the closure still being more than two months away.

However, SCS rejected the idea that Edinburgh Sheriff Court did not have physical court capacity to deal with court business as “simply wrong”.

Eric McQueen, SCS chief executive, said: “There is no doubt that over the last year and a half the reporting and detection of crimes, including sexual, domestic abuse and road traffic offences, has increased, reflecting the proactive policing and prosecution and greater victim confidence to report crimes. The SCS equally has no doubt that the physical court capacity exists to deal effectively with this increased volume of business.” Currently, the court serves a population of about 100,000 people; a figure which is expected to grow, with more than 10,000 new homes to be built within the next decade across the county.

Legal professionals, politicians, community figures and the Courier all backed the ultimately unsuccessful Save Our Court campaign.

Among them was MSP Iain Gray, who said: “The closure of Haddington court is scheduled for January next year, so there is still time to reverse the decision. “If Nicola Sturgeon appoints a new Justice Secretary, I will immediately write to them and ask that he or she does exactly that.

“At the very least, I will continue to seek assurances that the kind of alternative measures for retaining some degree of local access to justice, for example the use of local video links for witnesses and victims, are implemented, as we were promised when the closure was announced.”