Box 112 acquires Christchurch’s former temporary police station

The former central Christchurch temporary police station at 56-68 St Asaph Street has been sold to South Island investor Box 112 for around $25m, in a deal brokered by Jonathan Lyttle and Ryan Geddes of Savills, along with Hamish Doig and Mark Macauley of Colliers International.

The vacant 1.6ha property is located on the corner of St Asaph and Antigua Streets opposite the upcoming Metro Sports Facility and a block away from the Health Precinct.

On the site is a large 7,731sq m single-level building constructed in 2013 for NZ Police, along with 122 on-site car parks.

The sale illustrates the resurgence of interest in property in the south-western central city fringe area, a pocket of the city which is expected to receive a major boost with the opening of the Metro Sports Facility in late 2021, says Savills Managing Director Ryan Geddes.

“Now that construction is finally underway on the Metro Sports Facility, we’re seeing renewed interest in the surrounding area among property owners and developers who are looking to secure sites in this area, in expectation of a big increase in the number of people who will be visiting the sports facility when it opens,” he says.

“With the hospital and Health Precinct, the river, Hagley Park, the CBD and educational institutions all very close by, it’s a great spot for a variety of businesses and Box 112 has had the foresight to recognise that.”

The building was constructed to Importance Level (IL) 4 standard, meaning it exceeds the New Building Standard regulations for earthquake compliance. IL4 is the second-highest importance level defined in the Building Code and is the standard for buildings which must be operational immediately after an earthquake or other disaster.

Box 112 plans to redevelop the building to accommodate several occupers, and plans to lease the spaces to tenants whose business operations are suited to one or more of the property’s unique characteristics, Lyttle says.

“This location is excellent for medical-related tenants and the building would also be well-suited to occupiers requiring superior IL4 seismic strength. This could include government departments, IT companies providing data storage and many other organisations which need the security of knowing there will be minimal disruption to their operations following a major earthquake.”

Box 112, an investment partnership based in Christchurch, is known for its unique and innovative developments and business interests. Projects to date include a number of iconic Christchurch buildings, including the refurbishment of the Midland and Public Trust Buildings on Oxford Terrace, the Peter Bevan building on the corner of Manchester & High Streets and a number of buildings in Welles Street and St Asaph Street which are being repurposed for ‘finer-grain’ businesses.

The Box 112 team is excited about their vision for the St Asaph St site and about being able to deliver another high value offering for the people of Christchurch, says Geddes.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the end result of their work on this building, which has great potential to be transformed into something that will help breathe more life into this corner of the city.”

The building, which features a central open-air courtyard, was constructed following the 2010-2011 earthquakes for NZ Police and served as Christchurch’s temporary central police station from 2013 until the new Justice and Emergency Services precinct opened early last year. The car parks on the property have since been leased to Wilson Parking.

It was home to about 600 NZ Police and Department of Corrections staff and replaced the former city police station on Hereford St, which was damaged in the earthquakes and demolished in 2015.

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