Local alcohol policy: Freeze on new liquor stores from today
From today (Monday 16 September) 24 areas, including Auckland’s city centre, will be subject to a freeze on the opening of new off-licences as Auckland’s local alcohol policy starts coming into effect. Pubs, bars and clubs will also need to carry out new practices designed to help keep customers safer.
The policy was voted for unanimously by councillors at a Governing Body meeting on 29 August this year. Councillor Josephine Bartley, chair of Auckland’s Regulatory and Safety Committee, says limiting the number of liquor stores in our neighbourhoods is something communities have asked for and is a step forward in creating a thriving, healthy and safe Tāmaki Makaurau.
“When I grew up, my cousins and I could walk up to our neighbourhood shops and at the time, they consisted of a bakery, lawnmower shop, dairy, and a fish and chip shop. Today the same neighbourhood shops consist of a takeaway, dairy and a heavily branded liquor store. Children today are faced with liquor stores in their neighbourhoods and town centres like it's a normal thing.
“These communities have been crying out for change – wanting to see better for their neighbourhoods by objecting to new liquor stores opening up. They have said enough is enough!
“The freeze aims to put a stop to new liquor stores opening in areas where alcohol is having a negative impact on peoples’ health, or there is already a high number of liquor stores in the area.”
What changes today?
From Monday 16 September, the District Licensing Committee (DLC) must consider the local alcohol policy when it’s assessing applications to open new off-licence premises, such as liquor stores, bottle shops and supermarkets selling alcohol. The policy recommends that applications to open off-licences in the city centre, as well as 23 other suburbs across Auckland, should be refused. These areas already have a high number of liquor stores and experience higher levels of alcohol-related harm.
Rob Abbott, Principal Specialist Alcohol Licensing at Auckland Council says that new stores in the 24 areas subject to the freeze would need to meet a very high threshold for the DLC to consider granting a licence.
“The local alcohol policy says that applications to open new off-licence premises, like bottle shops, in one of the 24 ‘freeze’ areas should be refused due to the high number of existing bottle shops in the area, and as these areas see higher instances of alcohol impacting on peoples' health and safety. The DLC has to take this into consideration when it’s assessing applications. There would have to be a very, very good reason for a new licence to be granted.”
‘New’ off-licences are shops that have not been licensed to sell alcohol within the past six months. Existing stores in the areas can keep trading. This includes when ownership of a store is being transferred to another person, or when the licence comes up for renewal – as long as it continues to meet the required conditions.
Outside of the 24 areas, applications for new off-licences in neighbourhood centres face a ‘rebuttable presumption’. Rob explains that this means it will also be tougher to open a new off-licence in other areas of Auckland.
“There are over 400 neighbourhood centres across Auckland - they’re usually areas with rows of shops. The local alcohol policy will also make it more difficult to open a new off-licence in these areas,” he says.
From today, the DLC will also assess applications for new alcohol licences and renewal of existing licences, to decide if they should have special conditions put on them. This will apply to off-licence premises, as well as pubs, bars and clubs, and includes requirements for them to do things like keep an incident register; display information on transport, such as taxis, to help customers get home safely; have CCTV; and train staff to a certain standard.
