Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Maylands residents rally against Dan Murphy’s as Supreme Court Judge reserves decision

Kristie LimEastern Reporter

ABOUT 20 residents joined a rally to stop a Dan Murphy’s liquor store being built in the heart of Maylands today, the same day as its Supreme Court appeal.

Woolworth’s Australian Leisure Hospitality (ALH) appealed against the WA Liquor Commission’s refusal to grant an extended liquor licence for a $3.5 million bottle shop and small tavern at the Maylands Peninsula Tavern site.

The judge reserved a decision with a date yet to be fixed.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Maylands MP Lisa Baker headed the community meeting at the site and said she was “sick of fighting” the four-year fight against the 1117sq m liquor superstore.

“The community still does not think that this is an appropriate site to develop this big liquor store on and a far more community friendly facility is what they want,” she said.

“Many of the people who live nearby would certainly not look forward to having people driving in and out at all hours and purchasing cheap alcohol.

“But at the Supreme Court today, if the decision comes down to say that the Dan Murphy’s or the ALH has done the right thing to go ahead, then we will have to take it back to the WA Liquor Commission to get a hearing there.”

Ms Baker said there were four small businesses within walking distance of the proposed site and 15 outlets within a 2km radius.

City of Bayswater councillor Dan Bull said he was personally disappointed with the appeal.

“Before I was elected to council, the council made the right decision to change their town planning scheme to prevent this kind of outlet going ahead,” he said.

“It is just another example of the Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) and the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) running roughshod over decisions of local councils because they effectively push that amendment to the side.”

Maylands resident Alex Millier said small chain liquor stores would be affected by the potential Dan Murphy’s store.

“Personally, I do not drink but I socialise with many friends who do,” he said.

“I happen to know that there is a Dan Murphy’s in Hyde Park that is close enough to this area.”

Maylands specialist homeless service 55 Central’s team manager Solomon Berhane said the proposal would increase the drinking problems in the area.

“In the last six months we found that 67 per cent of our residents have an issue with alcohol and it is extremely difficult when in a 2km radius, we already have 16 different alcohol outlets,” he said.