New police headquarters taking shape in Hastings

The beams are up at the new Hastings police headquarters. Photo / Supplied

Construction of the Eastern District Police headquarters in Hastings has started to go vertical as the the first load of steel beams and core braces are installed.

Construction of the $19.8 million building, that will also be the Hastings Police Station, began in April this year.

Work has continued steadily over the winter months, with Patton Engineering on the job manufacturing the steel beams at Whakatu, the longest measuring 15 metres and weighing two tonnes.

A ship from the US to Napier brought a load of core braces, which along with the ground underneath the building being earthquake strengthened with concrete, would add extra reinforcement.

The core braces acted like a shock absorber on a vehicle and most of them would be fitted to the external walls, and would be a feature for the overall look of the building.

When finished, scheduled for the end of 2019, the purpose-built building will be a three-storey, state-of-the-art facility.

In conjunction with the build, the Hastings District Council has committed to reconfiguring its Emergency Management Centre on Lyndon Rd East.

If disaster struck, and the police headquarters was not functioning, this would mean there was space available for the police at the upgraded Emergency Management Centre to carry out their emergency response work.