HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

6 MAY 2016

Hutt City Council to consider Local Alcohol Policy

Hutt City Council will consider introducing a Local Alcohol Policy (LAP) when it meets on 24 May. If it is accepted the LAP will set the trading hours of on- and off-licenses across Lower Hutt.

Mayor Ray Wallace says “I will be recommending Council accept this policy and get these trading hours in place.”

In 2013 Council undertook extensive consultation and adopted a provisional LAP, which has been through an appeal process and is now ready to be adopted.

Concerns about the availability of alcohol, particularly in communities at higher risk from alcohol-related problems, were heard at a recent Council committee meeting.

These issues were raised during the initial consultation on the LAP but community feedback at that time was that any limit on alcohol licence numbers could backfire and prevent communities from attracting supermarkets or growing an entertainment area. The LAP does not currently set a restriction on the number of licenses in any area but this is something that could be re-considered in a review.

Mayor Wallace says, “I have taken on board the valid concerns about the availability of alcohol, particularly in communities such as Wainuiomata, Stokes Valley and Naenae.

“Given the time lapse since these issues were considered, I will also be recommending we shortly review what we are putting in place, to ensure we continue to develop a policy that works for our community”

If the LAP is adopted, on-licenses in the Lower Hutt CBD and part of Jackson Street in Petone will be allowed to open from 7am to 3am the following day and on-licenses that are outside these areas from 7am to 1am the following day. All off-licenses will be allowed to sell between 7am and 10pm.

Chair of the Policy and Regulatory Committee, Councillor Cousins says, “If the LAP is introduced it will give a greater surety of the rules and put Petone on the same footing as the CBD, reflecting the growth it’s gone through as an entertainment area.”

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 gave local authorities the option of developing a LAP to have a say on trading hours, location and density of on-and off-licensed premises.

If there is a LAP in place it is one of a range of criteria considered by The District Licensing Committee when deciding to grant a license to sell alcohol. For example, the Committee also considers the character of the person applying for a license, the potential impact on the area and submissions from people in the community.

ENDS

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