Concerns about the effect another bottle store in Woodville will have on a community already dealing with a raft of socio-economic issues, has seen the application turned down.
Turning a former Woodville dairy into an off-licence on the town's main street isn't an option, the Tararua District Licensing committee has decided.
In declining the application from Prince Sharma, operating as Shiv Enterprises 2016, for a bottle store, to be known as The Liquor Store, licensing committee members David Lea, Maureen Reynolds and Kerry Sutherland took into account the 73 public objections and a petition with 106 names, as well as objections from Martin Macmaster, medical officer of health, and Karl Williams of the New Zealand Police.
Mr Sharma said he believed his business would fill a gap in the market because he was intending to sell more varieties of spirits, ciders and beers than were available at other off-licences. He said he didn't think it was realistic to speculate that the addition of a bottle shop in Woodville would give rise to disorder, vandalism or detract from the town's amenities.
Insisting he had no intention to sell party drugs, Mr Sharma said he would, however, be selling chips, pies, non-alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.
