Prediction of 'chaos'

Rob Dale.
Rob Dale.
There will be ''chaos'' on the streets of North Dunedin if proposed liquor laws are passed, the owner of three of Dunedin's biggest student bars says.

Bar owner Rob Dale said he would immediately close Boogie Nights, Capone and Urban Factory if the Dunedin City Council's proposed alcohol policy passed unchanged.

This comes as the council consults on its draft local alcohol policy, which includes introducing 3am closing times for bars (an hour earlier than the present closing time) and a one-way door policy starting at 1am.

Mr Dale, who had about 20 years' experience working in the industry, said the closure of his bars would be the ''tip of the iceberg'' as other student bars would fall over because they would no longer be profitable.

On busy nights, his bars alone attracted thousands of patrons and, if they were not there, students would instead drink cheap off-licence alcohol at unsafe flat parties.

''Having 20,000 students all living in close proximity to each other and there being nowhere for them to go is going to be a recipe for disaster.''

''Could you imagine Orientation Week in Dunedin without any of the student bars? You are looking at chaos,'' he said.

The biggest problem for student bars was the 1am one-way-door policy, which would effectively become a proxy closing time for ''party'' bars.

This was because people came to his bars, not to drink, but to meet people and ''as soon as you lose the party, everybody else leaves''.

''We would be closed by 1.30am, which unfortunately takes all our key hours of profitability away from us.''

On average, his bars sold fewer than one drink per person and were only profitable because they attracted large numbers.

In contrast, bars where people just sat next to the bar and alcohol was the ''main form of entertainment'' would not be that affected by the one-way-door policy.

It was unrealistic to expect students would stop drinking just because bars were not open.

''The choices aren't whether they go out or not. It's do they go to a regulated safe environment, or do you just leave them to fend for themselves?''

Council liquor licensing co-ordinator Kevin Mechen has previously stressed the policy was ''only a draft'' and the community was able to have its say before the council made a final decision on what was in it.

vaughan.elder@odt.co.nz

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