Woollahra locals have had mixed responses to the NSW liquor watchdog’s decision to block the opening of a new bottle shop by Ice Box Liquor in the Queen Street shopping strip.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Liquor and Gaming NSW blocked the bottle shop proposal after fears it could “saturate” the area with access to alcohol and there was an increased potential for crime.
In a statement, Woollahra Council also opposed the store on grounds it was located too close to homes, and it “would not be in line with the expectations, needs and aspirations of the local community.”
Local Queen St hairdresser, George Giavis, had a mixed response to the block.
Mr Giavis told The Daily Telegraph that with the recent rise in online alcohol delivery services in Sydney’s east, any new bottle shops “might create retail cannibalism.”
“But at the end of the day, when it comes to any local retail strip, a leased shop is better than an empty one – the site’s been empty for more than a year and it’s not a good look for the area,” Mr Giavis conceded.
Others such as Giles Edmonds, president of the Queen Street & West Woollahra Association, said he was supportive of the Liquor and Gaming decision.
The Daily Telegraph reached out to the owner of Ice Box Liquor for comment.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
