New alcohol policy to progress
A new policy to restrict the sale of alcohol in Christchurch is in the pipeline despite strong opposition from the chairman of the committee that voted to progress the plan.
The Christchurch City Council spent more than $1 million creating the last plan, which set restrictions on where and when alcohol could be sold, was designed to minimise alcohol-related harm in the community. It was scrapped in November 2017.
Yesterday, the council’s regulatory performance committee recommended the council ask staffers to start a new draft Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) ‘‘as soon as possible’’.
If work started immediately an interim LAP would be publicly notified by August 30 next year.
But committee chairman David Eastwas against the plan, saying the council had spent a ‘‘huge amount of money and we’re no further down the track’’.
East wanted the committee to choose the option of not having a LAP for the time being.
The third option would have seen the council defer decisions on a draft LAP until after the triennial elections in 2019.
‘‘I’m mindful of the fact of the financial constraints that this council’s under and the fact that we’ve already spent $1m to $1.5m on an LAP process to date that was withdrawn due to a legal challenge,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m concerned that we could go down this track again – considerable expense to possibly end up in the same state that we’ve already ended up in.
‘‘We’re in a situation . . . fiscally in this council where we’ve spent a lot of money and haven’t had an outcome.’’
The council tried to make its last proposed LAP work after releasing it for consultation in
2013. It said it spent nearly $1.1m on the process.
The buying and selling of alcohol is governed by the hours set in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. Hospitality New Zealand (HNZ) wants this to continue.
The act states alcohol can be sold between 8am and 4am by an on-licence and between 7am and
11pm for off-licence outlets. The original local policy included a 3am closing time and a one-way door policy from 1am for taverns, bars, pubs, nightclubs and clubs in a small central city precinct.
It proposed a 1am closing time elsewhere.
Off-licence trading hours were to be limited between 9am and 9pm.
Following submissions and appeals, the council widened its central city precinct to include Victoria St, south of Salisbury St.
It proposed a temporary 3am closing time for bars in north Victoria St, between Salisbury St and Bealey Ave, which would change to 1am after three years in line with suburban pubs.
Off-licence trading hours would be between 7am and 10pm, instead of 9am and 9pm.
However, the High Court ordered the council to reconsider its alcohol policy after the hospitality sector raised concerns about its Victoria St decision.
HNZ’s proceedings focussed on the decision to split the street at the Salisbury St intersection.
At yesterday’s meeting councillor Tim Scandrett favoured the recommendation forcouncil staffers to start a draft LAP.
‘‘There is an issue here, it has to be dealt with,’’ he said.
‘‘If full council decides ‘No, let’s drop it’ . . . I may choose to vote that way at the full council. I would prefer to vote at this committee to go forward to council.’’
East requested his vote against the motion, to recommend the council ask staff start a draft LAP, be recorded.