Licence For Avon Lodge Sought

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31786, 17 September 1968, Page 17

Licence For Avon Lodge Sought

A tourist-house premises licence was sought for Avon Motor Lodge, 356 Oxford Terrace, at a sitting of the Licensing Control Commission in Christchurch yesterday. Evidence was given that in the season between December and March, more than 60 per cent of those using the motels were overseas visitors.

The lodge had 31 motel units, to accommodate 60 to 70 persons, and was well patronised, said the inspector of licensed premises (Mr R. W. Jenkins). In 1965, a restaurant licence was granted. If the tourist house licence were granted, a two-storey block would be put up on adjoining land. It would have a 2200 square foot diningroom and a 1160 square foot lounge bar on the ground floor, and a 3100 square foot reception room on the upper floor, said Mr Jenkins. The proposals fell short of requirements, as the building could not be reached from the accommodation except by a longish outdoor walk. Sixty or seventy guests did not need a 300-seat diningroom or more than 4000 square feet of bar-cum-conference room. A special dining permit plus an exemption to permit dancing would no doubt figure in the owners’ calculations, and quite obviously they were expecting to attract a very large casual dining and special events trade. The concept of a tourist house licence catering primarily for house guests was changing to a point where casual dining and special events predominated, and this was not clearly contemplated or provided for in the legislation.

The outcome of the application, he suggested, could be regarded as a guide line for future similar applications. As the Avon Lodge application did not satisfy the tourist house licence criteria, he did not recommend the issue of a licence. Accommodation In City To Mr G. T. Mahon (for the applicant), Mr Jenkins said that licensed accommodation would be augmented by plans, close to fruition, to provide 30 motel units at the Sandridge Hotel, motels at the Bush Inn and 24 beds at the new Pages Road hotel. The commission had seen plans for a new. Carlton Hotel of four storeys, and for a grandiose development at the Caledonian Hotel. Both these projects were well .in the future. It was quite evident that some holders of tourist house licences were getting round them with outside trade, Mr Jenkins said. Mr L. G. Hunt, group tours and overseas tourist supervisor of the Tourist Department, Christchurch, said the department was concerned that the city would not be able to meet the demand, with tourist business doubling every five years. He would not put an American party into Avon Lodge, because Americans wanted liquor service. . Given the incentive of a

tourist house licence, said Mr Mahon, the company was prepared to increase accommodation, and had plans to do so. More than 12,000 persons were accommodated in the year ended August 31. Guests sought liquor service and the applicant was conscious of the restricted nature of a tourist-house licence. It was conceded that local trade to some extent was in mind, but the licence sought was intended to cover some types of local trade. The main purpose was to get a licence for the purposes set out in the Sale of Liquor Act While the commission might well be concerned with the way in which some tour-ist-house licences were used, local trade being the predominant use, the remedy lay

with the commission in that the promotion of local trade was very much dependant on a special dining permit. Such permits could be granted by the commission, or revoked by it at any time. The applicant would amend plans to comply with the commission’s requirements. Mr M. R. Carter, chairman of directors of Avon Motor Lodge, Ltd, said there were proposals to build 20 more motels. The hearing was adjourned until this morning.