No regrets on booze clampdown

The Whangarei District Council has no regrets after cracking down on liquor licenses in the area..

They may have opened the council up to litigation from the booze industry, but Whangarei district councillors are making no apologies for taking a tougher stance on where and when liquor can be sold.

The decision to adopt the provisional Local Alcohol Policy followed 283 written submissions, many of which painted a grim picture of alcohol abuse in Whangarei.

The new policy's stand-out features include a provision that no new bottle stores can open for the next six years. Hours for off-licences have also been slashed to between 9am and 9pm, even in supermarkets. The current maximum trading hours are 7am to 10pm.

When the proposed policy was tabled at Wednesday's council meeting, Councillor Sue Glen pushed a last-minute motion to extend the bottle store moratorium from the original three years. She also pushed for a 10am opening, but was voted down.

"The indication is that things are not right out there. [There are] people who have not a lot of hope and for whom alcohol is a source of comfort. We have that opportunity to change that," Ms Glen said.

Councillor Shelley Deeming said she resented the last-minute change after council had already decided the policy's terms. "We had a fair and balanced outcome after listening to all the submissions that came forward. Accordingly, I'm not at all happy," she said.

WDC group manager district living Paul Dell said the further council strayed from the national 7am to 11pm hours for off licences, the more likely it could lose an appeal on the policy.

Councillors decided that 9am was an appropriate and defendable opening time. The LAP left the rules for on-licence premises relatively untouched. Local bars already have a one-way door policy.

Alcohol Action Tai Tokerau (AATT) spokeswoman Ngaire Rae commended the changes, but said her group would like to see bars serve last drinks at 1am.

The provisional policy will be subject to appeal for 30 days. Any appeals would be heard by the national Alcohol Regulatory Licensing Authority.