Off-licence liquor stores remain on council's list

Changes to liquor laws in Auckland City have been officially scrapped, but the council may still address community concerns about off-licence liquor stores.

The changes, which would have closed suburban bars before midnight and forced restaurants to hire security guards late at night, were rescinded yesterday by the council's city development committee.

Pressure from the hospitality industry led Mayor John Banks and Aaron Bhatnagar, the councillor steering the changes through the council, to announce last week the changes would go.

Mr Banks, who wants to be the first mayor of the Super City next year, said he had no doubt the liquor issue would have damaged a key constituency - the hospitality industry - with which he had a long association.

The changes attracted 234 public submissions and council officers will report to the committee next month on what the public had to say and options for future liquor licensing policy.

One issue officers will consider is possible changes to off-licence regulations, such as the opening hours and location of liquor stores, which had widespread support in public submissions.

City Vision councillors, including leader Richard Northey and Glenda Fryer, said the council needed to address off-licence issues before the outcome of the Law Commission review of the Sale of Liquor Act.

It would be 2011 before the commission reported back and legislative changes were made, Mr Northey said.

Waiting until 2011 would not provide peace and quiet for the residents of Oranga, who were meeting tonight to discuss problems with vandalism, graffiti and broken bottles which they blame on the seven liquor stores in the small suburb, he said.

Independent councillor Mark Donnelly said he hoped the council had learned lessons from the liquor law changes, particularly over consultation. He said the council needed to take a "finer-grained approach" with communities, bars and restaurants.

Hospitality Association northern regional manager Sara Tucker said most problems from alcohol were attributed to off-licence drinking and it would be wise for the council to wait to make changes until the Law Commission reported back.

"They should deal with it all together," she said.

The committee also approved a submission to the Law Commission on matters "within the council's powers and responsibilities" under the law.

City Vision councillors unsuccessfully tried to broaden the submission to advocate for the wider well-being of the community.

One, Cathy Casey agreed with a premise in the submission that the council had a role to play in the reduction of alcohol-related harm in the city.

But she said the submission had nothing to advocate for things such as a city detox facility to which police could take drunks for help instead of locking them up in a cell.