Site chosen

Press, 8 May 1986, Page 5

Site chosen

The police kiosk in Cathedra! Square is likely to be sited between the entry to the underground men’s toilet and the bus kiosk.

Present plans for the building put it about six metres from the bus kiosk and three metres from the wall that runs along the footpath edge on the north-west corner of the Square. The plans show three hexagonal rooms with steeply pitched roofs. The rooms are a reception area, an interview room, and a tearoom.

The three-room building is about half the size of the bus kiosk.

The plan was presented to the Christchurch City Council’s works and traffic committee yesterday and was approved. A subcommittee was to formed bring a final design to the council on May 19. If approved the building would be built in 10 weeks. A number of reasons were given for the siting of the kiosk in the northwest corner.

Not the least was that it is one of few areas in the Square which can be built on without iong, formal procedures to either stop a legal street or seek permission under an act of Parliament.

Much of the Square is still legal street and the area round the Godley statue is reserve and

covered by the Reserves Act.

The chosen location also fits best with the general line of vision from the Cathedral through the Square according to the city’s deputy general manager (works), Mr Harold Surtees. It also sits on top of an existing sewer. The site appeals also to the police. THe Christchurch district commander, John Jamieson, Deputy Assistant Commissioner said the site gave a view of all areas of the Square and was immediately accessible to members of the public wanting police aid. The present plan, which seems likely to be the final design, shows only one entry to the reception area from the north-west Mr Surtees assured councillors that the building could be built well within the money available. A radio appeal for the kiosk has raised $59,000 (and offers of assistance with paint and the roof), including a Government pledge of $5OOO. An appeal to raise money to pay for an advertisement on violent crime will yield another $20,000.

Mr Jamieson told councillors that the building would function as a community police office, staffed by a civilian with on-the-beat policemen and the Cen-

tral Police Station in radio contact. A telephone on the outside wall would connect people to the Central Police station when the kiosk was not open. He said there would probably be more police in the Square area, which had easily the greatest rate of violence of any area in Christchurch, with the exception of one or two suburban hotels.

Offers of civilian help would probably be accepted, as to put a policeman into the booth would mean closing the booth if he was called to help someone. Inner-city foot patrols were being rerostered to focus more police on the central-city area, he said. Councillors also asked that some thought be given to extending the office in the future to acccomodate a tourist information area. The police offer would probably become that by default, Cr Rex Arbuckle said.

“We need an information point for tourists in the Square,” he said.

Council staff said the design allowed for an extra hexagonal unit to be added later. While the police office was a permanent building, its foundations would not be laid through the tiles.

The office would have to be well identified, Mr Jamieson said.