The prospect of Helensburgh getting another liquor shop in the centre of town was overwhelmingly condemned at a public meeting with Liquor and Gaming officials on Monday night, writes Iris Huizinga.

More than 100 people attended a public meeting with Liquor and Gaming officials held on 4 April at Tradies Helensburgh to give the community a chance to voice their thoughts on the Coles-owned Liquorland chain setting up in Helensburgh.

Community speakers were universally against the proposed Liquorland store at 19 Walker Street, a space previously occupied by a fruit shop and deli on the corner of Walker and Short streets.

The first speaker, Scott Spiers, a local resident with a background in town planning and urban design, said: “A place where you can turn up and … grab your cheap booze and get out again, is not going to support what the community currently needs. We need places where people can enjoy the town centre.”

Dr Trevor Kemper, director of Helensburgh’s Equilibrium Healthcare, said: “From a health perspective, having another liquor store in town is concerning because of the normalisation of alcohol use in the population.”

On the societal impact, Helensburgh Baptist Church pastor Brad Blacker said: “Alcohol stays in the community.”

Warwick Erwin, convenor of community group Neighbourhood Forum 1 and owner of Stanwell Tops Technical Services, said: “The amount of people present and the amount of [written] objections make clear that there is a strong community opinion about this application.”

Local filmmaker and playwright Geoffrey Sykes mentioned previous applications: “There’s been two other applications for outlets, like BWS (Beer Wine Spirits), about 15 years ago, I think. They withdrew. They did the honourable thing sir, and withdrew for similar reasons being discussed tonight.”

If the application were granted, there would be a total of four liquor outlets within 200m along Walker Street (including the Helensburgh Hotel bottle shop).

Ray White Helensburgh real estate agent Ron Kissell quoted Liquor and Gaming NSW data that shows approving the Liquorland application would put the density of packaged liquor shops in Helensburgh at just under 47 (rated per 100,000 people). This represents a much higher rate than the NSW city average of 28.2.

Opposition to the application has been simmering since Liquorland (Australia) Pty Ltd first filed a notice of intention to apply for a new packaged liquor licence in January 2021.

The idea of a new liquor outlet opening three shops up from Coles has appealed neither to residents, worried about the societal impacts, nor business owners, including local bottle shops facing cut-price competition from the nationwide chain.

Matters came to a head at Monday night’s public meeting, which was announced in late February 2022, following numerous written submissions to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) in 2021.

ILGA board member Gillian Eldershaw chaired the meeting, which she said was held so that “locals could share their views as to the benefits or negative impacts that are likely to arise as the result of granting the liquor application to Coles Liquor”.

Ms Eldershaw said: “One of the things that the authority ... must have regard to when making a decision, is the need to minimise harm associated with the use and misuse of alcohol. We are very much focused on the safe and appropriate responsible supply of alcohol in the community.”

Community speakers made several points, including claims that the building’s address was incorrectly stated in the application as 19-33 Walker Street. Disability advocate Fiona Myers was unable to attend in person but in a speech delivered on her behalf said: "The applicant incorrectly states the address as ‘Helensburgh Plaza’. The address for the premises concerned is 19-21 Walker St, while it adjoins the so-called Plaza which is really just a high street facing supermarket with a ramp connected to a rear carpark, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a shopping centre or even a part of the same building premises."

Other points raised included:

• The building is at a very visible and central position in the middle of a “village";
• There is a potential for increased alcohol-related incidents and accidents in a town without a manned police station or nearby hospital;
• Alcohol is implicit in recent increases in domestic violence;
• Franchises and big companies like Coles do not tend to support the local community, while small businesses do. For example, none of the local sports clubs have Coles on their jerseys;
• Concern about the message sent to local children in normalising alcohol culture, with the proposed Liquorland centrally located and employing big signage;
• General health impacts on the community, with multiple studies showing harm increasing with increasing density of alcohol outlets;
• Concerns that ongoing problems with Coles Supermarket (regarding the car park, rubbish and trucks) would be exacerbated;
• Local surveys conducted by local GP practice Equilibrium Healthcare showed a higher than average alcohol use in the 2508 area and concerning levels of injuries related to alcohol;
• Concern that Liquorland shops in the Wollongong LGA are not members of the local Liquor Accord (a voluntary industry-based partnership working in NSW communities to introduce practical solutions to liquor-related problems).

Representatives for Coles Liquor who attended the meeting said they believed "there are a number of positive benefits to the application”. A representative of the landlord of the building, owned by Larvotto Pty Ltd, was present at the meeting as well.

Each community speaker was met with loud applause. Local resident Jerry Riley, who forfeited his five minutes so speaker Warwick Erwin could continue, concluded the evening by saying: “Well, after this groundswell of arguments, if they [Coles Liquor] have any sense, they'll withdraw their application.”

The matter will go back to the ILGA board who will meet in the next two months and make a decision.

7 APRIL 2022: UPDATE FROM THE ILGA 

On behalf of the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (‘Authority’), Dr Rochelle Hurst, Director ILGA Secretariat, Liquor & Gaming NSW, provided the Flame with the following an update on the next steps for the application for a packaged liquor licence for Liquorland Helensburgh.  

• The applicant has been invited to provide a submission on matters raised at the public meeting, and on the additional written submissions received from persons unable to attend the meeting. 
• Once the applicant’s submission (if any) is received, the Authority will publish all submissions received to date on the Liquor & Gaming Applications Noticeboard and open a further 7-day submission period. At the conclusion of the 7-day submission period no further submissions will be accepted from members of the public. 
• Any further submission received will be put to the applicant for final comment.   
• Once received, the applicant’s final submission will be published on Noticeboard for transparency, however, no further submissions will be accepted from the community. 
• The Authority will then determine the application at its next Liquor & Gaming Committee meeting.