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It was a win for a Christchurch community when the application for a liquor store was withdrawn.
A record-breaking 207 objections were submitted to the city council over the proposed bottle shop on Memorial Ave.
Last week, the applicant Manpreet Kaur, who also owns Sockburn Bottle-O, withdrew the application for an off-licence consent for the store after an independent adviser told her the process would be a “waste of time and money.”
Said Mrs Kaur: “We were expecting objections, but not that many. We respect the community, if they do not want it, we don’t want to annoy them.”
Mrs Kaur said at the end of the day, it is just a business, and there would be no hard feelings.
“If people don’t like it, it’s not a good idea for us to go in there.
“I am happy people do look after their community,” she said.
Fendalton resident and neighbour of the proposed shop, Isobel Anderson, was “absolutely ecstatic” the application had been withdrawn.
“I just didn’t think that [application withdrawal] could ever happen.
“It was so frightening someone could come in and upset a whole community. It’s just such a relief,” she said.
Those who made submissions against the liquor licence were notified about the withdrawal by the district licensing committee.
Fendalton resident Ashley Seaford said the result was good news for the community and its young people.
“From the number of submissions clearly there was no, or little, support for this business in our neighbourhood,” he said.