Site identified for temporary Christchurch Central police station

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.

"This will be an extensive complex. We need to accommodate police staff, a custody block, the Southern Communications 111 call centre, a range of other specialised facilities and significant car parking.

"We will also have around 35 staff from the Corrections Department co-locating with us after their own premises were damaged in last year's earthquakes."

More than 600 police staff will be based at the station, although the number on site at any one time is considerably less.

Police announced in December that they would relocate out of the 13-storey Hereford Street building they have occupied since 1973, because of the risk that continuing aftershocks may degrade internal services in the building.

In the first stage of the relocation, staff have already begun vacating the tower portion of the building, level 5 and above, and moving to lower levels and to other police stations around the city.

Superintendent Knowles says Police remain committed to building a permanent city base in the next six or so years.

"That was always our plan - well before the September 2010 earthquake and the subsequent aftershocks which have jolted us into action on a temporary facility.

"This temporary station is a stop gap - but one which will mean we can continue to provide a strong and effective policing service to the people of Christchurch."