Council may prosecute rugby club

Press, 24 June 1986, Page 9

Council may prosecute rugby club

The Riccarton Borough Council may take the High School Old Boys’ Rugby Club to court to see if the club has to conform to town-plan-ning conditions set down by the council.

The council gave permission in 1978 for the clubrooms in Ayr Street to be used until 11 p.m. on weekdays, to midnight on Saturdays, and to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The club has gained a general liquor licence to run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays. It is able also to get special permits for Sundays, and up to 1 a.m. on any night — longer than the hours allowed by the council.

The club considers that its rights to open under the licensing provisions overrule the town-plan-ning restrictions. Last year, it was open on 30 occasions past the hours allowed by the council.

Several council members met club representatives last week to discuss the problem. At the meeting, the club agreed to increase the number of supervisors at private functions from two to four. It said it would continue to run under its licensing provisions. The council decided last evening to write to the club, asking that it limit functions to the hours allowed by the council when the club was granted town-plan-ning consent. The Mayor of Riccarton, Mr Richard Harrington, said he believed that eventually the council would have to take the club to court to find whether the provisions of the Sale of Liquor Act superseded the provisions of the Town Planning Act. This would be a test case, as the matter had not arisen before, he said.