Seven options for new station

GILES BROWN - The Press

Seven Christchurch sites are being considered as options for the new home for the central police station.

The current station on the corner of Hereford St and Cambridge Tce needs to be earthquake strengthened to meet the standards for emergency service buildings.

Police are looking for a new site as upgrading the 13-storey, 1960s building, which is leased from Ngai Tahu, would not be cost-effective.

Canterbury police business services manager Wayne Mills said the search for a new site began before Christmas.

"There are seven options we are looking at," he said. "There're not really any buildings that stick out and say that's somewhere we can walk in tomorrow and convert it.

"They are likely to be sites we either redevelop or build a new building on."

Once options had been decided, a proposal would be sent to police headquarters in Wellington and put before the Government for consideration, he said.

Cool!

Lets hope it a new development, not a horrible one sided redevelop like the council chambers!

Please knock down current. Make 25 level apartment tower. Build new Police Station at 35 Levels of corner of Colombo and Glouchester - y'know, lease a few levels to a start up company that will be in the top 100 Fortune 500 one day using Christchurch as global headquarters and being a catalyst to mega city and suburban growth.


LOL DREAM ON, DAN

They wont find another user for the Hereford st building if the police move out. It was actually built in 1973 same as the medical school at the hospital not in the 60's. Its very hard to rent out old buildings in CHC be a shame to see it demolished though.

It will be good to see a modern updated police station. When i was in Christchurch back in 97 i thought the old one was a bit of an eyesore in a beautiful city!!

They wont update the current building thou..

what you reckon will happen to it? Hopefully not the same as the old council chambers

They did a massive renovation of it in 1995 I remember the crane on it. They put in new lifts refurbished the floors it is very nice inside actually.

Have heard over the last couple of weeks this building was heavily damaged in February. Is still able to be worked it, but things looking nasty in there.

Thats sped up the need for a proper, new, purpose built facility housing not only the police hq but potentially other emergency services as well. So in case (touch wood) of another event- the recovery effort can be held from there, leaving the Art Gallery alone.

Which reminds me, when is the Art Gallery reopening?

If it does have to go down there should be a public looting of the building.

The current one is fine. I saw people in and out of an entrance the other day - and driving home this evening at the lights, a few levels still had people in them with lights on in a few levels. Doesnt seem too bad.

My sister in law's father works in the building - he was saying that even before the earthquake they were going to move. The place is to small and not geared up for policing in the 21 century.

Since the earthquakes, much of the bathroom and office facilities have been put out of action, so they really want something new and bigger to cope with the future.

^^ Advise I've heard is that the existing police building is structurally sound, just not up to the same standards that a modern police regional headquarters should be built to.

In the grand scheme of things, the buildings current earthquake related damage is generally minor.

Yes, I can confirm that the police have planned moving for quite some time... though I suspect the government will be less than keen on forking out for a new cop shop.. even the $1bn redevelopment of Chch Hospital looks to be put on the back burner for now.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/6620791/New-site-for-temporary-police-headquarters

http://static.stuff.co.nz/1332383827/826/6620826.jpg

Christchurch Central Police Station will relocate to a temporary site on St Asaph Street in the central city later this year.

Work is expected to begin soon on a temporary facility to be constructed on the site, which will serve as the Central station for approximately six years while the long-term police station is finalised and completed.

The 1.58 hectare site is situated at the corner of St Asaph and Antigua Streets, to the south side of St Asaph, and to the east of Antigua Street. The site will be leased from the owners, construction and development firm Calder Stewart.

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Gary Knowles says Police will build a temporary station of around 7350 square metres on the site. The station will be built to the latest earthquake design standards suitable for a post-disaster facility.

It will be a single-storey complex, using a modular construction similar to that used on a number of other temporary facilities which have been built around the city post-earthquake.

Planning, design and construction will take six to eight months, Superintendent Knowles says, and it is hoped that the building will be completed in late October, with staff moving into the new complex in November. The project has an estimated total capital cost of approximately $20 million.

"It is great news that Police have committed to retaining a base in the central city," Superintendent Knowles says.

"It means we can give our staff the reassurance of working in a brand new, purpose-built facility in a location which is ideal both for Police and the public.

"It also gives the people of Christchurch reassurance that Police are maintaining a significant central city presence.

"This is very much a fast track process. Normally when we build a police station, design alone can take up to twelve months - we're doing that work in just six weeks. And construction will take just four months with crews working extended hours to get the complex built."

Police assessed a number of locations in the central city, both within the four avenues and outside, but very few sites of sufficient size were available, Superintendent Knowles says.