Tauranga residents have until this Friday to share their views on the revised draft Local Alcohol Policy.

The policy proposes changes to where and when people can buy alcohol in Tauranga.

Proposed changes to the revised draft LAP aim to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Tauranga City Council commission Chair Anne Tolley says the revised proposed changes are not aimed at stopping people from purchasing alcohol, but controlling the times they can access it, to help reduce the harm caused by alcohol in the community.

She encourages everyone interested in the policy – even those who have previously provided their thoughts – to share their views on the recent updates.

'We understand that the requirement to re-consult on this policy may be onerous for some people, but we want to make sure it achieves what it sets out to do, which is to reduce alcohol-related harm,” she says.

Hearings on the policy will be held in November this year, following which the council will consider submissions in December.

A LAP is a set of decisions made by a local authority, in consultation with its community, about the sale and supply of alcohol locally.

All LAPs are required to be updated every six years to meet the provisions of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. The last time council reviewed the policy was in 2015.

The key changes are:

• Changing the opening sales time to 10am instead of 7am for all off-licensed premises (such as bottle stores and supermarkets)
• No new on-licensed premises to be established in industrial zoned areas
• No new licences issued for bottle stores located within suburbs where alcohol is likely to have a greater impact on the community
• Introducing a range of discretionary conditions for all off-licensed premises
• Removing the one-way door provision (allowing patrons to leave licensed premises but not enter or re-enter during specified times)
• Changing the final alcohol sales time to 3am from the proposed 2am for all on-licensed premises (such as bars and nightclubs) in the central city.

Details
For more information about the proposed changes and to complete the survey, go to www.tauranga.govt.nz/lap. Submissions must be received by 5pm, 16 September 2022.