Residents urged to oppose liquor store

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2009

Residents opposed to the reopening of a liquor store in Victory Square are being urged to make their voice heard by a Nelson City councillor.

Matt Lawrey says anyone with concerns about the reopening of Victory Liquor Centre should make an objection to its license renewal application.

“Apart from the landlord, I haven’t met anyone who has been unhappy about the liquor store being closed. I’m also very aware that since it shut the number of beer bottles and RTD cans lying around the square has dramatically reduced. There is a lot less broken glass around too.”

Victory Liquor Centre has reopened its doors after it was restored to the companies register this week.

In November last year the company that owns Victory Liquor was struck off the companies register after they failed to file an annual return. As a result, the District Licensing Committee declined its application for a renewal of its liquor license and said that it would need to apply for a new license and remain closed in the meantime.

But now that the company that holds the liquor license has been restored, the committee says it had “no other option” under the legislation but to allow them to reopen.

“The Council Licensing Inspector found that the company holding the licence had been struck off the companies register in November last year, following the company’s administrative oversight to file an annual return,” said a council statement issued on Wednesday.

“Now that the company that holds the licences for Victory Liquor Centre has been restored, the committee is required to approve the reopening of the shop under its existing alcohol licences while the renewal application is being processed.”

Matt says since the store closed there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of people drinking in the neighbouring park.
“We used to get people down there drinking in the afternoons while kids were heading home from school but I haven’t seen that happening since the store closed.”

Members of the public can make submissions for Victory Liquor Centre’s renewal on-and-off alcohol licence application via the Nelson City Council website, by searching “alcohol licensing applications”.
An objection must be received by the Nelson District Licensing Committee within 15 working days after the first publication of the public notice.