Tavern ‘causes problems’

Press, 20 August 1982, Page 4

Tavern ‘causes problems’

The police last summer attended between 30 and 40 complaints of disorderly behaviour in the vicinity of the Marine Tavern in Sumner. Senior-Sergeant T. N. M. Nalder told a Canterbury Licensing Committee hearing yesterdav. Senior-Sergeant Nalder, head of the team policing unit for the Christchurch police, was giving evidence before the committee, which is hearing an application by the owner of the Marine Tavern to have its late closing hours on ’ Fridays and Saturdays reinstated. An earlier application for extended closing hours was declined when the hotel was not represented but residents living near the tavern attended the hearing and said that tavern patrons caused considerable nuisance during late closing at week-ends. “Between January and March this year, in what we call the ‘silly season.” we attended between 30 and 40 complaints in the vicinity of

the Marine Tavern," SeniorSergeant Nalder said. “Most of the complaints were about hotel patrons behaving in a disorderly manner in the streets round the hotel.” he said.

“One complaint came from a fire-safety officer who said that the hotel lounge bar was overcrowded. The police checked it and we found that the bar was so packed we could not even get past the door. We gave up trying to do anything about it because of the numbers,” he said.

“As we were leaving, we could hear the noise from the band as far away as the beach.”

Sometimes the police parked in the street outside the hotel and kept an eye on patrons as they left after 11.15 p.m. There was a lot of noise, as well as some offensive language.

“If the Marine Tavern was in the middle of the city, there would be no problem, but because it is in a residen-

tial area, it causes a lot of. problems." Senior-Sergeant Nalder said. A big group of young Sle went “pubbing" on sy and Saturday nights. They visited the hotels that had" bands and late closing hours, and the Marine Tavern was on their circuit, Senior-Sergeant Nalder said. Since the tavern had been forced to revert to 10 a.m. closing on Friday's and Saturdays. there had been no complaint to the police from local residents, he said. One of the residents. Ms Robin Allen, said she thought the people in the area accepted the 10 p.m. closing as a compromise. “The residents feel they can live with 10 o'clock closing, but not later.” she said. Before 10 p.m. closing came in last June, her property had been constantly littered with bottles and broken glass, and hotel patrons occasional!}' were found urinating in the garden.

Since the earlier closing, there had been no cans or beer bottles left in the garden. but a sackful of beer cans had been deposited on the Nayland Street corner in retaliation against Sumner residents, she said.

Another . resident. Mr Stephen King, gave evidence of drag racing in the streets and of cars racing along the footpaths near his house. The footpath was 1.98 m wide, and most cars were on average 1.75 m wide, he said.

He presented a petition which he said contained 73 signatures of people living near the Marine Tavern who wanted 10 p.m. closing to continue.

The committee's chairman. Judge Bisphan. said that he would accept the petition. “But people sign petitions at the drop of a hat. and do not always know what they are about,” he said. "If these people are as concerned as all that they should have come along." Decision was reserved.