Christchurch City Council has adopted a Local Alcohol Policy

The Mayor and councillors have approved the Local Alcohol Policy (LAP), which will take effect in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. It includes three main rules designed to address alcohol-related harm:

• All off-licence retailers must stop selling alcohol at 9pm daily, effective from October. This includes bottle stores and supermarkets. 

• A freeze on new off-licences in high-deprivation communities, effective from August. 

• Restricting new bottle stores from setting up near addiction treatment/rehabilitation centres, secondary schools and primary schools, the University of Canterbury and the Christchurch Bus Interchange effective from August. 

Amendments to Draft LAP as consulted on

• Removal of the clause that excluded the City Centre Zone from the policy restricting bottle stores from opening near sensitive sites.
• Inclusion of the University of Canterbury and the Christchurch Bus Interchange as sensitive sites

Read more on Newsline

The final version of the LAP will be available online once it is formally publicly notified.

Council decision documents

The meeting minutes will be available over the coming days and you can watch a recording of the LAP Hearings.