Glenrose Shopping Village, Belrose: Row brewing over bid for another mall bottle shop
A fight is brewing over a push to have a third bottle shop in just one suburban shopping mall on the northern beaches.
Manly
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A northern beaches’ community anti-crime group is battling a bid for another bottle shop to be opened in its suburb because it fears it will cause an explosion in anti-social behaviour.
Neighbourhood Watch Belrose, Davidson & Frenchs Forest, is against a move for a Vintage Cellars outlet to open at the popular Glenrose Shopping Village in the heart of Belrose.
If the bottle shop, owned by the Coles (Supermarket) Group, gets the go-ahead from NSW Liquor and Gaming, it will join a BWS (Woolworths-owned) outlet as well as the alcohol section at the Aldi supermarket as retail liquor choices at the shopping centre.
Vintage Cellars would replace two recently closed shops — Costi seafoods and a shop that was used to promote a retirement village in the area.
Locals have been complaining that the area around Glenrose Village is a haven for outdoor, after hours and underage drinkers who take part in anti-social behaviour including vandalism.
In June last year the Manly Daily reported that residents were complaining about a spike in damage at the Shopping Village and increased drug and alcohol use in nearby Wingara Reserve, popular for its kids playground.
Locals had been finding used cannabis “bongs” and empty “nangs” — nitrous oxide canisters — as well as smashed alcohol bottles around the reserve.
And shopping centre management has had to repeatedly repair smashed down fence panels kicked in by vandals around the centre’s loading dock and staff carpark.
Co-ordinator of Neighbourhood Watch Belrose, Davidson & Frenchs Forest, Libby Paulsen said on Friday there was already a Vintage Cellars close by at The Forestway Shopping Centre at Frenchs Forest and a bottle shop at the nearby Belrose Hotel.
“We really don’t need a third alcohol outlet at the shopping centre,” Ms Paulsen said.
“It’s overkill and over supply.
“There is an ongoing problem with kids and alcohol in certain hot spots in the area.
“It will only give them another opportunity to get hold of whatever it is they drink.
“It is a minefield that has the potential to explode the social issues that are already here.”
In a letter to residents last year the Northern Beaches Police Crime Prevention Team wrote that police had received “several reports of break and enter, trespass and malicious damage incidents occurring in and around the Glenrose shopping area, including surrounding parks and streets”.
“These offences generally occur outside of school hours,” the letter stated. “Youths appear to be congregating in the area, consuming alcohol and illicit drugs, resulting in offensive behaviour, damage to property and leaving dangerous/harmful litter in the area.”
A Coles Liquor spokesman said it took the responsible service of alcohol “very seriously”.
“We are committed to providing safe and secure environments for our team members and the community we serve.
“We always work with key community stakeholders to minimise harm from the misuse and abuse of alcohol.
“Our policy is to always check the ID of anyone who looks under 25 and ask them to leave if they are clearly under 18.”
The spokesman also said that Vintage Cellars was different to the existing outlets at Glenrose.
“As one of Australia’s fine wine specialists, Vintage Cellars provides customers with a genuine point of difference by offering a broad range of locally relevant wines, craft beers and boutique spirits” he said.
The proposed trading hours are 9am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sundays.
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