Other councils were using LAPs to take tougher measures, she said. Auckland Council is proposing supermarkets, general stores and bottle stores only be able to sell alcohol between 9am-9pm.
Dr Mills said she was happy the draft policy would mean no new bottle stores for up to six years. However, that did not affect renewals of licences.
In the case of new licences and renewals, there should be an onus on applicants to prove the social benefits of them selling alcohol, she said. If there was demand for a new supermarket, which is likely as the city expands, it should have to prove that selling alcohol would not harm the community.
There should also be a provision in the policy to carefully consider the locations of outlets, Dr Mills said. That included near schools, community buildings and churches.
"Of course, none of these things work just by themselves," Dr Mills said. "We know that all the stuff around licensing is only one part to reducing alcohol harm."
Last year's figure showed Northland had 15.2 off-licences for every 10,000 of population; nearly twice the North Island average of 8.2. "I think we'll probably look back in 20 or 25 years and look at this very much like how we look at tobacco [now]," Dr Mills said. "The more we know about cigarettes, the less we want them around."
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, which provided for the creation of LAPs, came into force in December 2013. It gave each council the freedom to create their own bylaws around alcohol policy. The Far North District Council was the first in Northland to put out a draft LAP last year. Kaipara District Council was yet to make any moves.
-Tomorrow - A Northland principal on the effect of foetal alcohol syndrome.
