Likely new police station site revealed
Sometimes the devil is in the details, and such was the case last Tuesday’s Hamilton City Council hearing on Plan Change 9, when the likely site of the city’s new police HQ was revealed.
Submitters on the proposed changes to the built and historic heritage and natural environments requirements of the district plan drew all and sundry to the council chambers.
Matt Stark, one of the city’s most prolific commercial developers and director of Stark Property, was in attendance and let the cat out of the bag by revealing where the city’s new police station could be destined to rise. Something the police themselves have not been willing to do.
During his submission Stark said: ‘‘We’ve got a wall along 9 to 19 Knox St, which is the old Ministry of Works building... It’s a vacant lot for redevelopment. The land slopes up towards the cathedral, so this is partly a retaining wall, but to build anything in the new world you’d just take that right out.’’
‘‘You start to save that thing, and it actually adds millions of dollars to things. We are in the process of late of building the new police station that will go there. And that was one of the most significant costs to police around that wall.’’
The site, which is currently a car park serving the Starkdeveloped
South Bloc precinct, is adjacent to the courts, close to major arterial roads into the city centre and has a footprint of about 4350sqm.
It would also be large enough to accommodate the desired expansion of police offices in the city, as revealed in documents released under the Official Information
Act.
When asked however, Police remained tight-lipped about their intentions.
‘‘Police have been investigating options for a new Hamilton Police hub. These options included the site at Knox St,’’ a spokesperson said.
Asked about the surety of the
plans, Stark explained that the project was ‘‘on ice’’, due to what he described as central government funding constraints.
This sentiment was echoed by police, who said the development was subject to further financial commitments from government.
‘‘Police are not yet ready to progress this development.
Police continue to look for options for a new station in Hamilton subject to future funding availability.’’
The owner of the land beneath the current central police station, Tainui Group Holdings (TGH), declined to comment on the move which would leave them without a tenant, instead directing questions to police.
Should the police move from their current Anzac Parade site, it would leave the city with a large, well-connected plot at the southern end of the CBD.
The police have form when it comes to moving stations.
The recent relocation of the Cambridge police station to the site at the corner of Victoria and Fort streets was completed in conjunction with TGH.