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A ban on new liquor outlets in Warkworth could be in place by next year if concerns raised by Police are heeded.
Auckland City Police have submitted an appeal against Auckland Council’s provisional alcohol policy, which was adopted in May.
It requests Council include Warkworth in a priority overlay of high risk areas, which would result in a two year freeze on new off-licences and more stringent conditions for on-licence holders.
Wellsford and Te Hana have already been identified as high risk areas under the provisional policy.
In order for an area to be regarded as ‘high risk’ there needs to be evidence that the area has a high level of alcohol related crime, high numbers of people experiencing disproportionate harm from alcohol and/or high numbers of existing alcohol licences.
However Police will not supply Mahurangi Matters with the evidence.
Auckland City Police submitted the appeal on behalf of the Waitemata and Counties Manukau Police districts’.
Warkworth officer in charge Bede Haughey says he is unaware that Warkworth is included in the Police appeal, but says he is unable to comment further due to Police’s communications policy.
Waitemata area commander Mark Fergus says the appeal is based on offence data and input from the community, however he says Police will not disclose the data publicly while the appeal process continues.
“Police made submissions to the Council that we believe certain areas would benefit from restricting the availability of alcohol. Orewa and Warkworth were two such areas. Council chose not to put these areas on the priority overlay [high risk areas] list and therefore Police have appealed that aspect of the proposed local alcohol policy,” Mr Fergus says.
If Warkworth was included as a high risk area there would also be increased scrutiny on applications for off-licences after the two year freeze lapsed. The policy states there would be “a presumption against granting new off-licences” after the freeze expires.
On-licence applications and licence renewals would also have to include a report outlining the existing licensed premises, sensitive sites, land uses and level of alcohol-related harm in the area.
There are 23 suburbs in Auckland that have been listed as high risk areas.
Police have also requested Point Chevalier, Onehunga, Orewa and Takapuna be included in the priority overlay.
The appeal period closed last month. The alcohol policy will not be implemented until the appeal process has ended.
The Ministry of Justice's Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority is presiding over the appeal process. Ministry senior media advisor Matt Torbit says no hearing date has been set for the appeal, but it is likely to be in the first part of next year.
