Anger at liquor store plan

By Casey Neill
ELDERLY Tecoma residents are concerned a proposed liquor store will bring drunks to their backyard.
Woolworths has proposed a Beer, Wine and Spirits liquor outlet on the former Flash Car Care site at 1571 Burwood Highway, Tecoma.
Bill Dobbin lives in a flat next door.
“Our visitor parking area will become a public urinal and rubbish tip,” he said.
The 34 units are home to residents over the age of 55, including some in their 90s.
“The thought of drunken hoons wandering in their front yard terrifies them,” Mr Dobbin said.
“There’s no way known it won’t happen.”
Mr Dobbin said bottles, cans and other rubbish would be dumped in their backyard.
“I’m not certain that Woolworths knew what was next door,” he said.
“At the moment there’s nothing to attract anti-social behaviour to this particular part of the world.”
A Woolworths spokesman said no alcohol would be consumed at the store.
“All our staff are trained in the responsible service of alcohol,” he said.
“We will be enforcing licensing laws to ensure no alcohol is consumed on the premises.” He said the site was ‘quite rundown’ and improvements would include a new fence between the bottle shop and units.
“We will be revitalising the site,” he said. The spokesman said the outlet would create a range of casual and permanent jobs for the area.
“Our premier objective is to provide responsible service of alcohol to responsible consumers,” he said.
Tecoma Primary School principal Rohan Thompson said the store was inappropriate across the road from a primary school and was ‘hardly keeping’ with government measures to combat binge drinking.
“There are already plenty of liquor stores around the area. It’s not something that we need,” he said.
Vandals used cans of alcohol to break 15 windows at the school just over a month ago.
Security camera footage showed they were drinking alcohol during the rampage.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood agreed it was the wrong location for such a store.
“In the context of our national debate on teen binge drinking, there’s no quick solution,” he said.
“But I’m certain putting liquor shops near schools doesn’t help the situation.”
Lyster Ward councillor Samantha Dunn was concerned about where the public application notice was displayed.
“The notice is set back too far to read or observe from the path,” she said.
“It is my view that the community is not even aware of this application and they do have the right to be informed.”
Cr Dunn has asked the Liquor Licensing Commission director to allow residents more time to respond to the application.
The Woolworths spokesman said a liquor licence application notice was displayed clearly on the building and advertised in a major daily publication.