Implosion date of the former Christchurch Police Station building confirmed

The date for implosion of the former Christchurch Police Station building has been delayed and this will now take place on Sunday 31 May 2015, at 5pm.

Ceres NZ is the main demolition contractor for the project. Along with its subcontractors, Ceres experts will initiate the implosion and be responsible for the process.  The building is owned by Ngāi Tahu Justice Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Ngāi Tahu Property Ltd.

The health and safety of neighbours, stakeholders, members of the public, our employees and contractors and attending media is paramount at all times and is at the forefront of all planning. The team is following industry best-practice which is to not encourage public attendance.  The position of the safety fences around the site will mean the public’s ability to view the implosion will be extremely limited.

However we also understand the former Christchurch Police Station building holds many memories, is part of Christchurch’s history and there is public interest in the event. To help preserve some of the memories, images and sounds of the demolition will be captured as part of The 48 Hereford Street Project - a homage to the hundreds of Christchurch buildings that have been demolished as a result of the earthquakes.  In addition, accredited media will be reporting from the site and live-streaming of the implosion will be set up at www.youtube.com (user name: broadcastmedianz) and the live event will show up on the day.  The public is encouraged not to attend on implosion day, which is in-line with best-practice.  The preference is for the public to instead log on to the live-stream and view the implosion from home.

There will be security personnel posted at multiple points along the public exclusion zone fence and the team will be in close contact with police, should there be any problems.

We understand the implosion will cause inconvenience for neighbours, residents, businesses, commuters and visitors to the city and we are making every effort to minimise this as much as possible.

If you need to be travelling through the area please visit www.tfc.govt.nz for street detour and traffic information.

For further information contact:

Fiona McLeod
021 544 982