Concern over the prospect of three new liquor outlets setting up shop in the central city has prompted two Wanganui District councillors to make personal objections to a licence application by Big Barrel Enterprises.
The objectors are Ray Stevens and Jack Bullock.
Three operators have applied for bottle store licences in the central city. One application has been accepted, with a building going up at 13 Purnell St.
The other two, for 217 Guyton St and the Leader & Watt building in Victoria Ave, are still hanging in the balance.
The Guyton St application is expected to be referred to the Liquor Licensing Authority in Wellington, because several people have lodged objections.
Submissions on the Victoria Ave application by Palwinder Singh of Big Barrel Enterprises closed at 5pm last Friday.
While not delighted with the prospect of a wholesale liquor store in Victoria Ave's top block, councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan has held back from objecting.
However, the councillors' views have been met with dissent from one of their own.
Disagreeing with their approach is councillor Rob Vinsen. He said market forces would be enough to limit the number of bottle stores in the CBD and it was a safer place for them than the suburbs.
The issue of central city bottle stores came in for some heated discussion at last week's full council meeting.
Mr Stevens and Mr Bullock said although the Alcohol Reform Bill had not yet been passed they wanted to bring in some controls early. Members of the public were telling them there was enough liquor and anti-social activity in town already.
They would like the council to limit the number of liquor outlets in the district in the same way that it limited the number of pokie machines.
Mr Vinsen agreed there was anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol, but he wanted to let the existing process and the market decide the outcome of licence applications in the CBD.
"The residential zone is different, because I think our society is concerned about the penetration of alcohol retailing into suburbs," he said.
Ms Baker-Hogan was also more worried about liquor sold in the residential zone. Neither she nor Mr Vinsen wanted to prevent competition within the industry.
"But I do think council needs more information and a better say on how many of these licences are appropriate."
Mr Vinsen said Wanganui's central city liquor ban area stopped people drinking alcohol in the street, but not buying or carrying it.
The Big Barrel application would be decided in Wellington because people had objected to it, District Licensing Agency inspector Doug Bonner said.
Individuals objecting must have good reasons. But the nature of those reasons is changing after a New Plymouth High Court blocked a licence granted in industrial Sunley St in July.
The judge said the Liquor Licensing Authority had failed to take into account the purpose of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989, which was to reduce liquor abuse. Allowing the Shree Sai Wholesale Liquor store to operate in Sunley St would create problems for surrounding businesses.
"Adjacent owners were concerned the premises would encourage riffraff to hang around the area late at night, whereas they normally wouldn't," Mr Bonner said.
Since then two other licences have been blocked on the same grounds, one in Turangi and another in Christchurch.