Consultation on the proposed changes opens on Thursday and will run for a month. Photo: 123rf
Tougher liquor laws for Christchurch are one step closer.
The Christchurch City Council has proposed banning booze sales from bottle shops and supermarkets after 9pm; implementing a freeze on new liquor stores in deprived areas; and, elsewhere in the city, there will be restrictions on new outlets near schools and addiction services.
At a public briefing earlier this month, councillors were told about 53 percent of those surveyed supported the 9pm sales restriction, while 36 percent were opposed.
More people supported the freeze on outlets in deprived areas, with 61 percent for the move and 25 percent against, while 68 percent backed restricting outlets in sensitive areas, with only 18 percent opposed.
The current trading hours in the city were 7am to 11pm.
Council staff scrapped two other possibilities - reducing trading hours for suburban bars and introducing a one-way door policy.
Burwood ward councillor Kelly Barber said he supported the proposals the council had landed on.
"I feel like this is going to give the community back control and potentially addresses the imbalance of power, and turns the balance back in favour of communities," he said.
Riccarton ward councillor Tyla Harrison-Hunt said the rules should target poor operators.
"I'll tell you who I really have faith in and that's the [District Licensing Committee]. I have faith in our staff and I have faith in our elected members around the table," he said.
"But I don't have faith in grubby little liquor store owners who own small shops in the middle of dairies outside schools."
The council voted against a number of amendments which could have further toughened the rules, including a proposal to include supermarkets in liquor outlet prohibition for deprived areas.
Hornby ward councillor Mark Peters was one of the few councillors supportive of the measure.
"I see a few eyebrows being raised on that one, but to me, if your supermarket is based on the financial basis that selling alcohol is going to decide whether you open a supermarket or not then you're not a strong operator," he said.
"You should be able to operate without alcohol sales in the premises of a supermarket.
"Some of the largest harms that come into communities like mine, which is highly-deprived, is through the sales of low-priced alcohol through those operators."
The public could have its say on what it supported or would like to see included.
Consultation opens on Thursday and will run for a month.
New rules could be in effect by October.
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