Scheme shows how to object to drinks licences

The seemingly complicated way of objecting to the granting and renewing of drinks licences is being simplified for members of the public through the ‘Strategy to Prevent and Reduce Alcohol-Related Harm’.

With Galway being the first city to develop such a strategy, Fiona Donovan, Galway Healthy Cities co-ordinator, stresses that it is not against public licences.

“We are not promoting it, we’re just making people aware – it is one of the national recommendations that people be better informed if they wish to make an objection,” she told the Connacht Sentinel yesterday.

“The information is out there, but maybe it is not in a coherent way, (we are) making it in plain English, if you want to object. If you don’t know the system, you might come (to object) in May, and miss the deadline.

“The strategy is not against public licences, it is more that people will be aware that there are laws and regulations in terms of licences, and its good for everyone.”

An email sent to community forums, community groups, residents associations, tenancy associations, advised that an action in the ‘alcohol strategy’ was to “Communicate information on the process for objecting to the granting and renewal of alcohol licences”.

And, in order to achieve this action, information was provided on the date of the renewals (September 29) and the process of objecting if there are legitimate concerns before September 8, with the relevant form attached to the email.

According to the latest figures from Revenue Commissioners’ Liquor Licence Register 2013/2014, there are 276 premises in Galway City licensed to sell alcohol.

The annual licensing court for the renewal of licences and the application for new licences will sit in Galway District Court at the end of September.

Anyone with a legitimate concern was advised to follow a set of procedures, including sending copies of the objection to the licensee and Gardaí.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Sentinel