New rules around the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol in Dunedin are expected to be in place early next year. The Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) has approved the Dunedin Local Alcohol Policy. At its meeting on Tuesday, the Council will consider a report which recommends the new policy comes into effect on February 1, 2019.
The main changes will be reduced on-licence and off-licence hours and the introduction of a one-way door policy from 2.30am, meaning people can leave but no new patrons can enter the premises from that time.
“This has been a long and involved process, but I’m pleased we finally have some certainty for alcohol licence holders and the community,” said Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull. “The law requires LAPs to try to reduce alcohol-related harm, which is a major issue across the country. We had hoped to bring in strong local measures which would tackle this head on, but unfortunately some of our initiatives weren’t accepted. This policy will make a difference, but it would have been great if we could have gone further.”
The DCC draft LAP, which was released in 2014, attracted more than 4200 submissions. A range of submitters appealed some of the proposed changes and ARLA ruled in their favour. The DCC then submitted a revised LAP, which was signed off by parties who had previously appealed the proposed policy, and which has now been approved by ARLA.
