Christchurch police to get new city station

12:59 pm on 23 March 2012

Construction is about to begin on a temporary police station in central Christchurch that staff will move into later this year.

The Canterbury District Commander, Superintendent Gary Knowles, says the new building will serve as the central station for about six years, while a permanent station is built.

The temporary single-storey building will be more than 7300 square metres and positioned on a 1.58 hectare site on the corner of St Asaph and Antigua Streets.

Its planning, design and construction is expected to take up to eight months.

Superintendent Knowles says it will be an extensive complex capable of accommodating more than 600 police staff, a custody block, the Southern Communications 111 call centre, and a range of other specialised facilities.

It was announced in December that the police would move out of the 13-storey Hereford Street building they had occupied since 1973, because of the risk posed by continuing earthquake aftershocks.