For Your Reading Pleasure

 

 

Some releases from the Council on matters happening around the City, starting with alcohol…

 

All Things Booze

Alcohol law changes begin next week

 

Major changes to New Zealand’s drinking laws come into force next week in an aim to reduce alcohol harm.  The reforms, introduced under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act (SSAA) 2012, focus on changing our drinking culture through the responsible sale and supply of alcohol.

 

Passed by Parliament in 2012, aspects of the new law have been phased in throughout the year with the final changes taking effect 18 December 2013.  For the alcohol industry this now means:

 

• Stricter controls on alcohol advertising and promotion, including making it an offence to promote alcohol in a way that appeals to minors
• A clear definition of “intoxication” will  mean licensees can meet their obligations to not serve intoxicated people, or let them enter the premises
• New alcohol licensing criteria – licences will be harder to obtain and easier to lose
• Supermarkets and grocery stores are required to display alcohol in a single area
• Harsher penalties and fines in place for serving minors or illegal promotion of alcohol
• Maximum trading hours for on-licences 8am – 4am (bars/clubs/restaurants) and off-licences 7am -11pm (all supermarkets/liquor outlets/wine shops). However, all licensed premises with shorter hours remain bound by their current licence and cannot extend to these maximum hours.

 

For the public, the alcohol law reforms not only affect when they can purchase alcohol from bars or the local wine shop but how alcohol is served to minors in the home.  As of 18 December, it will be illegal to supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 unless you are their parent or guardian or have express consent from them.  The penalty for breaching the law is a fine of up to $2,000.

 

Auckland Council, Hospitality NZ, Auckland Transport and Police have worked closely together in preparing for the changes that will occur next week including a campaign on the new restriction requiring on-licences to close at 4am which will affect up to 300 operators in central Auckland.  Being the busy Christmas season, extra transport has been provided for Aucklanders to get home safely.

In future, maximum trading hours for Auckland will be determined by the region’s local alcohol policy (LAP).  The SSAA now gives all districts the ability to develop LAP to govern the sale, supply, or consumption of alcohol within its area.   Auckland Council is currently developing its policy with a draft being released for full public consultation in early 2014.

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Further Information

The new hours, as prescribed by central government effective from 18 December 2013, are:

• 8am – 4am On-licences (bars, clubs, restaurants)
• 7am – 11pm Off-licences (all supermarkets, liquor outlets, wine shops)

 

Auckland Transport has the following transport options available to late night patrons in the city:

• Buses are currently available until 3.40am from Britomart.
• The weekend of 21/22 December extra transport is being provided:
  • The Northern Busway will provide services throughout the two nights
  • Trains will run from 5.00am with hourly services for the western, eastern & southern to Manukau and southern to Papakura lines.
• For specific times and more information visit www.at.co.nz

For more on Alcohol Licensing Changes visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/liquor

For a full copy of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and additional fact sheets visit

www.justice.govt.nz/policy/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol

 

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Council Christmas/New Years Hours

 

Everyone likes a nice Christmas-New Years break

Auckland Council Christmas Hours

 

Auckland Council wishes all Aucklanders a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Services that will continue over the Christmas break include:

Pools and recreation centres http://www.aucklandleisure.co.nz/

Rubbish and recycling collections with the exception of collections on 25^th, 26^th December and 1^st and 2^nd January which will be collected the following day.

Animal management services will run normal business hours.

The Auckland Council 24-hour call centre and the written communication response team will remain.

 

Other Auckland Council departments including service centres and local board offices will be closed over the holiday period from midday Friday 20 December until Monday 6 January.

 

For more information visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or call 09 3010101.

 

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Consents on time

And there are extra staff to process those consents – which is good if anyone is planning to kick start a major project this summer

Consent teams gear up for development bonanza

Auckland Council’s building and resource consents teams are gearing up to meet an increase in consenting volumes in tune with the improving Auckland economy.

Teams are achieving 95 per cent approvals of non-notified consents and 98 per cent for building consents within the statutory timeframes.

Both departments are preparing to meet the increased demand through additional resources.  The two teams have a total staff of 1100 across council service centres with additional external consultants to provide overflow capacity when required.

Both building and resource consent teams have fast track processes to streamline low-risk applications, delivering services within five and 10 working days.  Currently 11 per cent of resource consents are processed within 10 working days.

Resource consents currently in progress or issued in the last five months will permit over 20,000 new residential dwellings or lots to be built over the next five or so years. A further 10,000 units/lots are in discussion at pre-application stage.

Finance and Performance Committee chair, Councillor Penny Webster, said even higher demand will result from the Auckland Housing Accord’s ambitious targets for new residential lots and dwellings.

“It’s a sign that Auckland is on the move on the housing front with construction likely to flow through across Auckland including the new Special Housing Areas,” she said.

Consent applications show a shift away from property alterations and additions to   large scale applications for apartments, greenfield developments and infrastructure projects.

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Speaking of Special Housing Areas there is a further update of that coming through on Monday. Tuesday morning I should have the latest on the SHA’s and what does it mean for Auckland.