Chichester Cottage Alcohol Policy

Read this before you book if alcohol will be served at your event.

Does Chichester Cottage have a Liquor Licence?

No.

What are the Regulations about Alcohol at the Cottage?

These follow the legal criteria about alcohol in public spaces.

In your application to hire and book Chichester Cottage you must answer the question about alcohol before your application can be considered.

A Booking where you plan to serve alcohol will only be agreed to on the following conditions which must be strictly adhered to:

  • The event is a Private Function
  • There is No Public Access possible during the event.
  • The event has Not Been Advertised with an open invitation.
  • There is No Entry Fee
  • The Alcohol Cannot Be Sold or Charged For in any Form.

If this is understood and agreed and your Booking is confirmed then:

  • There Must Not be any Public Access through the Outer Doors of the Meeting Room to the Front of the Cottage.
  • Any alcohol must Only Be Served and Consumed within the Cottage or the Enclosed Back Garden. It may not be consumed in the public area at the front of the Cottage or the surrounding area of Public Land under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Council which is a Public Walkway and open to the general public at all times.
  • Non Alcoholic Beverages Must also be Available
  • Food must be served and available with the alcohol.

Why HPRS is unlikely to Agree to an event that needs a Liquor License

An Alcohol License is unlikely to be granted for Chichester Cottage because:

The question of alcohol at events of any kind is governed under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. The Act is very long and detailed and working through it is not helpful in answering the question about the supply of alcohol at Chichester Cottage.

The most helpful information is to be found on the Auckland Council website.

  • This site applies the Act to the local situation.
  • A license is always required to sell or supply alcohol at a public event, or in a public place. The host is required to apply for a license. How to apply is covered on the site referred to. It seems that the application needs to be made at least 20 days prior to the event. There is a fee of course, estimated at about $64, but variable according to the nature of the event. There are various types of license and a call to the council will clarify what is needed. Every application has to go before the District Licensing Committee and be vetted by the police, hence the time required before the event.
  • All applications are subject to the possibility of objection.
  • An event at Chichester Cottage would be vulnerable to this given the proximity of private houses, the public walkway, and most serious of all the presence of a pre-school child care centre in the old Mill House next door. Given these considerations it seems unlikely that a licence for an event would be granted.

The council site helpfully lists examples of events that require a license:

  • Any event at which alcohol is sold, or where there is an entry fee charged even if alcohol is provided free of charge.
  • Wine tastings, private functions such as birthdays.
  • Farmers’ markets, festivals, concerts, sporting events.
  • Functions in a public venue where public access is not restricted.

A license is not required at a private event such as a birthday or other family celebration, where the host provides the alcohol at no charge or the guests bring their own.

There are two stipulations which are seriously emphasised on the site:

  • There must be no public access to the venue.
  • The host must provide some food, and non-alcoholic drinks must also be available.

In the case of Chichester Cottage it would be very difficult to prevent public access given the proximity of the walkway and the houses. It would not be appropriate for guests to take their drink outside to the front of the Cottage or the area of the Walkway.