Craigavon - property law.
Being constructed from scratch during the 1960’s, the aim of Craigavon was to encourage workers to move out of the crowded Belfast whit its poor housing situation and social conflicts and find new homes and a higher standard of living in the Craigavon Urban Area. The planners of these ‘New Towns’ also hoped to ensure a more even distribution of development across Northern Ireland.
To begin with, it was very difficult to attract residents to Craigavon, especially after the area's main employer, Goodyear, had to close down its fan-belt factory due to poor earnings. Today, the sky rocketing house prices of Belfast has prompted more and more residents to look around for more affordable housing at a reasonable distance from the big city and Craigavon has consequently experienced a major influx of new residents.
In 2001, the Craigavon Urban Area – which includes Portadown, Lurgan and Bleary – had increased its population up to nearly 60,000 residents and the Craigavon Borough was home to over 80,000. A lot of the older housing estates in Craigavon have been demolished to leave room for a new, 21st century Craigavon. Craigavon has also turned into a popular shopping destination thanks to the construction of the Rushmere Shopping Centre, which is in fact an expansion of the old Craigavon Shopping Centre.
Due to the resent developments in Craigavon, it is today easy to find on-site legal expertise in areas regarding real estate, conveyancing, property law etcetera in Craigavon, Portadown, Lurgan and Bleary. Fields of expertise include home buying/selling, construction, landlord/tenant law, mortgages, commercial real estate, condemnation, and zoning.
Before you start looking for a legal expert to handle any Craigavon issues, it is important to keep in mind that the United Kingdom is divided into three states, each with their own distinct legal system and jurisdiction - England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. If you are in need of a solicitor or any other form of legal expertise in Craigavon it is therefore important to obtain a professional specializing in Northern Ireland law, since the Northern Ireland legal systems distinguishes it self from the other two in several notable ways.
In Northern Ireland, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor is responsible for court administration, while policy and legislation regarding criminal law, the police and the penal system is handled exclusively by the Northern Ireland Office, under the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State for Justice is also responsible for legal aid, advice and assistance. When legal aid is granted for criminal cases, it is completely free of charge. When it comes to civil legal aid, the costs vary and you can obtain more information by contacting the Law Society for Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, including the Craigavon Urban Area, the Director of Public Prosecutions prosecutes all offences tried on indictment, and may also prosecute in summary cases. It is however more common to have summary offences prosecuted by the police. The Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland is responsible to the Attorney General.