Have your say on Lower Hutt’s alcohol rules

Public feedback is also invited on whether to make any changes to existing alcohol-free zone locations or changes to the suburbs with current caps on the number of permitted off-licenses (premises that sell alcohol for consumption elsewhere).

Hutt City Council’s Environmental Health Manager, Dean Bentley, says that application fees cover 90% of the cost of licensing and compliance checks of pubs, cafes, sports clubs and other applicants. These fees vary depending on the risk profile of the venue, so a low-risk venue like a sports club would have lower licensing fees than a tavern.

Shifting to 100% cost recovery would save ratepayers about $30,000-40,000 per year.

“We’re proposing an increase that will reflect the costs involved, such as compliance visits, where we check that food and non-alcoholic options are offered, intoxicated people aren’t being served and that signage is displayed for things like who is the manager on duty,” he says.

Council is also proposing that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Mayor and committee chairs,  be given the ability to impose temporary alcohol-free zones without need for a full Council hearing. For example, when a licensed event like a concert at a park is being held, a temporary alcohol-free zone could be put in place in surrounding streets. This would give police more enforcement options before a situation potentially deteriorated.

What is being proposed?

The scope of the engagement for each bylaw or policy is as follows:

Alcohol Fees Bylaw

• In the consultation we're asking whether our cost recover ratio should remain at 90% or increase to 100%. A shift to 100% represents full user-pays of the service, and 90% cost recovery means a partial ratepayer subsidy.
  
  Statement of Proposal

Control of Alcohol in Public Places Bylaw

• We’re asking whether we should maintain or change existing locations of alcohol free zones. The full details and locations can be found in the Statement of Proposal.
• Do you think the Chief Executive  of HCC, in consultation with the Mayor and Committee Chairs, should have the ability to impose temporary alcohol free zones?

Local Alcohol Policy

• We’re asking about the caps on the number of off-licensed alcohol retailers in suburbs. Should we:
  • Maintain or change existing suburbs?
  • Maintain or change existing caps?
• Should we maintain or change trading hours ?

Currently, all off-licences are permitted to sell between 7am and 10pm. A maximum number of off-licences are permitted in the following areas recognised as being of high deprivation and/or high risk of significant alcohol-related harm: Naenae 4, Stokes Valley 3, Taita 3, Avalon 1, Hutt Central 11 and Wainuiomata 6.

Statement of proposal

Have your say

The engagement period runs from 26 July to 25 August.

Have your say online, email Alcohol.Feedback@huttcity.govt.nz or drop into any Council hub with your submission.

In your submission, please let us know your contact details if you’d also like to speak about your submission at a committee hearing, and we’ll be in touch.