The Hamilton Police Station will be built in 30 months, according to the Minister of Works and Engineering. Derrick Burgess was responding to questions from the shadow Minister of Works and Engineering, Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, in the House of Assembly yesterday.

She had asked why the Total Authorised Funding (TAF) has been stated as $78 million when the previous Minister had set it at $75 million and a second question asking about the completion of the building. Mr. Burgess responded that $66 million was for construction of the building, another $6.9 million for a construction manager fee and finally $5.1 million was built-in for unforeseen changes.

Adding that: "If a former minister said there would be a cap of $75 million on the project his statement would have been based upon the latest information available at that time."

He then confirmed that 30 months is all that would be needed to build the Hamilton Police Station and combined Magistrates' Court.

Planning permission for the complex was originally approved in principle in February 2001, and building permits issued in September of last year.

Construction began in December, with previous completion date on the project scheduled for 2010.

The new court and Police complex, at the corner of Church Street, Court Street and Victoria Street, will feature four courtrooms on the second floor, plus a Family Court on the third.

The lobby floor is to depict a stone compass, overset by a map of the Island in stainless steel.

Architects Carruthers Shaw and Partners Ltd of Toronto, Canada, have already allocated offices to the left of the ground, second, third and fourth floors, but the proposed fifth storey will be designated purely as open plan offices.