The building of a new police Eastern District headquarters and Hastings station will go ahead on the old Hastings Courthouse site, despite geotechnical reports revealing the Hastings site was not suitable for the original design.
Hawke's Bay area commander Tania Kura has confirmed other alternative sites were considered but it was felt the courthouse site remained the best option.
The site is at the intersection of Eastbourne St and Railway Rd, adjoining the current Hastings Police Station, neighbouring the new courthouse and just south of the Hastings CBD.
She said that after the building's original design was completed further geotechnical testing revealed "more investment was needed to ensure the building is built to the correct safety requirements."
"Now we have a better understanding of the ground conditions, the design plans are being revisited," she said. "The redesign is now under way."
The demolition of the old courthouse and the building of the complex was to have started soon after a new single-floor Napier station was opened last December, all part of a $24 million replacement of the Napier and Hastings stations, but Hawke's Bay Today has been told as much as $10 million more could have been needed for the building originally planned for Hastings.
It means that police intended to be located in the new building remain at various sites, including the district headquarters which vacated leased space in Napier's Dalton House two years ago.
It includes the District Command Centre which, according to one staff member, is "where the dart board used to be" in the former canteen of the old Napier station, which is, like the current Hastings station, destined for demolition once the new headquarters building is open.
New Zealand Police Association vice-president Luke Shadbolt, a Hawke's Bay police officer, said that while staff have been anxious about the delays, it's worth waiting to get it right.
"We welcome the fact that's it's going ahead," Mr Shadbolt said. "It's long overdue."
The twin-city project suffered a significant hiccup when the new Napier station had to be closed for a period less than four months after opening, because of a need to improve front-counter security protection which should have been included in the original design.