Prisons issue??????
 

Hi everyone

Does anyone live near and around the prisons in CHCH?
Do they have any impact around the area, ie house prices, community, safety etc. :thumbdown:

Its worrying me as this is the area we are looking at and its really putting me off. :(

Basing my thoughts on UK prisons and area in and around.

Thanks

Jackie

P.s Borrowing hubby log on as my computer is logged off and i'm to lazy to boot it up :rofl: (Just so it doesn't confuse lol )

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

The Prisons are on the outskirts of Christchurch. I am getting some info from my son in law who is a PO at the Prison for another member and will PM you with the details if you like. I am getting info on living in Rolleston which is near the Prison. I don't think it does have an impact. Never heard of anyone complaining about it but then I don't live near there so will try and get some good info and PM you or put a separate post on here if you like. Just read your PS. I think I might be getting the info for you anyway LOL !!!

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

We don't live in Christchurch, but do live about 10 minutes away from Ngawha Prison, which is the main prison for the whole of Northland, to be honest, we wouldn't even know it was there if it didn't have a sign post! It also has the best garden all around it down to the roadside so all we see are pretty things!! :lol:
It has no impact on house prices or anything like that at all.

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

Wellington Prison is in Miramar which is not a particularly cheap area for housing.

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

I did some high-level consulting work for the NZ prison service in Wellington head office (and Auckland prisons), and have a few comments that may help.

Paremoremo/Auckland Prison is the only maximum security in the country (and a very small unofficial supermax within AKL prison). It has very little impact on house prices and is in one of the most expensive and exclusive areas in the country. That said, there are a few changes happening in the prison system that could affect you (or at least be a bargaining tool for CHCH). Auckland prison was built in the 60s and is a run down, sorry excuse for a maximum security. The decision makers high up in the head office are making noises about moving a few of the facilities from Auckland to either Waikeria or CHCH. If demand for prisons keeps pouring in from the Auckland region, then the preference is to move Te Piriti (child sex offender unit) and maximum security away from Auckland (maxi would certainly move to CHCH). This will be by 2010-2012.

Hope this helps at least as a bargaining tool!

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

Ngawha is a scary place - prisoners run it and it is very difficult getting guards or even a prison manager to go there! The local iwi make up the prison population and also the guard population...they don't like enforcing rules on their uncles and cousins! ...glad the gardens look nice :D

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

I have spoken to my son in law and he has the following to say about Rollesston:-

1. It is an up and coming town where some prison officers do live.
2. The is a village square with the usual shops hairdresser, veggie shop, etc and a supermarket in the village.
3. If you didn't have it pointed out to you - you would hardly notice the turn off to the prison. There are 2 prisons, one 5 mins north and one 5 mins south.
4. They are well looked after prisons and I have to admit I don't notice them when driving that way.
5. Hornby shopping centre with many choices of shops etc is aprrox 7 mins by car. It seems a lot further as when you are driving along the main south road there are fields either side as opposed to built up areas until you reach Hornby area.

My daughter's neighbour moved to Rolleston this year and she loves it. However, she does work that side of Christchurch so it is obviously a lot easier for her commute to work.

This is a useful link :- http://www.rollestontown.co.nz/content/view/40/69/

This particular page lists events going on in the community and you will see there is plenty going on.

Here is another link
http://www.rollestonsquare.co.nz/index.cfm/home

This shows you the propsoed development for the square and I think it will have a lot to offer in the future.

Here is a link to the School.
http://www.rolleston.school.nz/index.html

Hope this is of some help to those wanting to look into the possibilities of living in Rolleston.

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

In the local paper a while ago when it first opened, it said that at night the locking system wasnt working properly and the prisoners could get out of their cells and were going into the guards room to make cocoa then going back to bed!! Dont know if it was true or not :lol:
I did know a lady that used to work there and she hated it. But it really has no impact at all locally.

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

Auckland prison is at Mt Eden, bang in the middle of highly sought after residential *village* full of character villas and the wannabe Ponsonby and Remuera residents, if it didn't have 30 foot high stone walls around it you would hardly notice it was there. :rofl: The prison does not detract the area one bit in terms of property prices or the types of people who choose to live there, and you would be hard pressed to find a house under $600k

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

I live in a small town near Leeds in the Uk, my OH is a Prison Officer at our local prison which is roughly 2 miles from where we live, and it's a Cat C prison as well as part of it being an open prison, and it's never had an impact on us..... apart from the occasional inmate who's out on license passing us in town? our house prices are very high, no sign of decline. I know you were discussing NZ but thought it might help. Good Luck! PS. quite often prison's have their own gardens, where you can get local produce grown there for a fraction of the price :)

Re: Prisons issue??????
 

Auckland Prison is at Paremoremo (up Albany way).

Mt Eden is low security, with ACRP (Auckland Central Remand Prison) next door a medium-high security (because it is largely unclassified remand prisoners). Mt Eden is being combined with ACRP in a huge development that will last until 2012. So I agree with your statement about house prices, but you WILL notice the prisons for the next 4 years (the construction sites at least).