HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

3 AUGUST 2016

The control of alcohol in public places to be discussed with community

Lower Hutt residents will soon be asked for their views and any supporting evidence on the public places that should be designated permanent alcohol free zones, and if some or all public places should be alcohol free from 9pm to 5am.

At a meeting last night Hutt City Council agreed that the proposed Alcohol in Public Places Bylaw should go out for consultation from Tuesday 9 August to Friday 28 October 2016.

The Bylaw proposes some public places are permanent alcohol free zones. There are also two options on a time ban; either all public places in Lower Hutt are alcohol free from 9pm to 5am, or all public places, except for Eastbourne and the Western Hills, are alcohol free from 9pm to 5am.

Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace says, “Public places do not include bars and other licensed premises or private property. Public places are areas such as parks, the river bank and public streets.”

“A lot of crimes in our city are related to or made worse by alcohol consumption. We want people to feel safe in public places.”

Mayor Wallace says, while police have other powers in place to deal with drinking in public, this Bylaw would provide a legal tool police can use to intervene before a situation escalates into a more serious situation.

Evidence of incidents related to public drinking and possession of alcohol is essential for a robust, enforceable bylaw. Police and Council have been working together to gather the evidence required to develop the Bylaw.

Council will be asking residents to provide any further evidence to them during consultation. Evidence could be finding alcohol bottles in a public park, witnessing an incident in a public place involving alcohol, or hearing about an incident.

Information including the proposed Alcohol in Public Places Bylaw, the supporting evidence and maps of proposed alcohol free zones will be available on Council’s website huttcity.govt.nz, at the Council building on Laings Road, and Hutt City libraries from Tuesday 9 August.

ENDS

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