Reprieve for hotel as licence renewed
HERIOT
PATRONS of the Heriot Hotel will be able to raise a glass tonight, after it received a renewal of its liquor licence.
The future of the West Otago hostelry hung in the balance following a tense renewal hearing in Tapanui on August 11.
During the hearing, both police and district licensing inspector Betty Holden spoke against a renewal, citing the unsuitability of applicant, landlord of 28 years James Riordan.
However, in its report released yesterday, the Clutha District Licensing Committee, led by Clutha district councillor Bruce Vollweiler, opted to give Mr Riordan another chance.
In concluding comments, Mr Vollweiler said several factors ‘‘[called] into question the suitability of Heriot Hotel as licensee and Mr Riordan as a manager’’.
Those included 13 instances of drinkdriving Gore police had linked to the hotel; failure to provide adequate food for patrons; failure to identify and manage intoxicated patrons; an instance of making an offlicence sale after legal hours; and an officer identifying Mr Riordan as intoxicated while on duty.
Despite that, the committee would renew the licence until September 1 next year, he said.
‘‘[Nonrenewal] will result in the licensee not being able to trade . . . [and] the business would not remain viable if Mr Riordan’s manager’s certificate is not renewed.’’
‘‘We accept this would be a disproportionate penalty in this case.’’
Granted for a shorter period than the standard three years, the licence would be subject to several conditions.
These included the hotel keeping a record of managers, and duty managers identifying and addressing intoxication on the premises.
Closing times would be brought forward to midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and 1am on Friday and Saturday.
‘‘We believe that Mr Riordan now has an understanding that operation of the premises needs to be improved in a number of respects, and he has the ability and incentive to do this,’’ Mr Vollweiler said.
‘‘The shorter time frame will allow the committee to check Mr Riordan has made improvements . . . It also allows him to sell the business with the licence intact within this period, if that remains his intention.’’
Contacted yesterday, Mr Riordan said he had been confident the hotel would remain open.
‘‘They weren’t going to close it, and they didn’t.’’
He said he still planned to sell the hotel, but would adopt the hearing’s recommendations in the meantime.