HORSHAM Rural City Council will investigate limiting the number of planning permits issued for the sale of alcohol.
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It comes after council approved a permit for a new liquor outlet in Hamilton Street, Horsham, on Monday night.
Cr Mark Radford said council should now investigate if it needed to limit the number of permits granted for liquor licences.
“There is an appetite for change and we need to see what the community thinks,” he said.
A planning permit report about the proposed liquor outlet in Hamilton Street, Horsham, stated alcohol was being provided in other outlets around the city.
“There are about 27 premises that supply alcohol to the community of Horsham within a 500-metre radius of the proposed site,” the report stated.
“There are also multiple others outside of the 500-metre radius.
“Horsham has an estimated population of 16,451 people, meaning there is one liquor outlet for every 600 people within the city.”
The report stated the provision of alcohol had the potential to cause long-term health and social issues that could effect the amenity of the area and the economic decline of the region.
Cr John Robinson supported the idea of looking at limiting the number of liquor licences granted.
“There is a bigger picture than just selling packaged alcohol – there are also hotels,” he said.
“We’re spending money on groups that are looking at the harm alcohol causes people.
“Let’s make sure whatever we do works with what those groups are doing.”
Cr David Grimble said the move was premature and reactive to the Hamilton Street liquor outlet planning application.
“When we deliberate on planning applications, we have to do so on the application’s merits,” he said.