The first phase of the Local Alcohol Policy comes into force from 16 September. Photo: Stuff
No new bottle shops will be allowed to open in some of Auckland's most vulnerable suburbs from Monday.
The first phase of Auckland Council's Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) will be implemented from 16 September, with a two-year freeze for new off-licence applications and discretionary conditions on licensees.
The two-year freeze applies in the CBD and 23 town centres in areas with the highest alcohol-related harm, called the priority overlay areas.
Council principal specialist alcohol licensing Rob Abbott said the freeze also includes applications currently before the District Licensing Committee (DLC).
"Every application that has not been determined by September 16, no matter when it was filed," Abbott said.
"We're aware of only two completely new applications for off licences and when they come up, the DLC will have to... apply this policy."
An off-licence applies to a premises where the licensee can sell alcohol for consumption elsewhere, and includes supermarkets, grocery stores and bottle stores.
Abbott said the freeze only applies to new off-licence applications that have not traded as a bottle shop in the past six months.
"So generally, we're talking about something that's either a shop that suddenly wants to be a bottle shop, or a new building that has been built and a bottle store is going to go in there, and there has never been anything there before in the previous six months."
It would not include liquor shops that have been sold, but continued to operate under a new owner, he said.
"It's someone new coming into the business, it's swapping hands, [and] for the purposes of the LAP - that's not a new off-licence premises that comes under the consideration of a temporary freeze."
Auckland Council principal specialist alcohol licensing Rob Abott. Photo: Supplied
Abbott said new off-licence applications would have to meet a high threshold to be considered by the DLC.
The DLC was bound by the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to regard a LAP when making a decision.
"The expectation from everyone I know is that it will be rigidly enforced."
Abbott said the LAP had been through a thorough consultation process, and after being subjected to scrutiny from the Alcohol and Regulatory Licensing Authority, the temporary freeze was found to be reasonable.
"If you're the DLC, you have to have some pretty strong grounds why you wouldn't follow what the council and the community want."
The second phase of the LAP, where all liquor shops have to stop trading at 9pm, will be implemented on 9 December. Photo: Stuff
On the other part of the policy that is implemented from Monday, Abbott said these were a range of discretionary conditions to be applied to all on-licences, off-licences, club licences and special licences.
These included clear guidelines on host responsibility, prohibition of customers and patrons, and registering of alcohol-related incidents.
Of the 23 suburbs in the priority overlays, 13 were in South Auckland: Hunters Corner, Māngere, Māngere East, Manukau, Manurewa, Ōtāhuhu, Ōtara, Papakura, Papatoetoe, Pukekohe, Takanini, Weymouth (Clendon) and Wiri.
The other 10 suburbs are Avondale, Glen Eden, Glen Innes, Helensville and Parakai, Henderson, Mt Wellington, Oranga, Panmure, Point England, and Wellsford and Te Hana.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
