The site selected by the Ministry of Justice, on the northwest side of Newbold Terrace, had been occupied by a row of Regency style houses erected in the mid-19th century.

[3] It was designed by HLM in the Modernist style, built by Galliford Try in white stucco at a cost of £26.3 million and was completed in December 2010.

The left hand section of five bays was fenestrated on the first and second floors by rows of casement windows, which were fronted by a slatted structure which was projected forward.

Internally, the complex was laid out to accommodate seven courtrooms,[7] a magistrates' court, a police station, and other agencies such as the Probation Service and Victim Support.

[8] Notable cases included the trial and conviction of the radio presenters, Tony and Julie Wadsworth, in June 2017, in connection with historical child sex offences.