The booze is out

An application for a special licence to open Octagon bar Ratbags to screen Fifa World Cup games has been turned down. Owners Grant and Phil Ellis applied to open the bar for World Cup matches, kicking off at 4am and 7am New Zealand time, to cater for football fans throughout the tournament, which runs from June 13 to July 14. "We are extremely disappointed," Ellis Hospitality Group general manager Phil Ellis said yesterday, adding that once they had studied the decision in depth, a decision relating to an appeal to the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority would be made. The application was heard by the Dunedin District Licensing Committee last week, and in its decision, the committee declined the application on the grounds the planning of the events did not take into account the high risk location of the premises and the potential for problems associated with the closure of nearby premises at 4am. It criticised the applicant for not supplying enough detail before the hearing, saying it expected a complete submission to be submitted on every occasion. Little thought had been given to who might be at the event, other than initial screening for intoxication, the committee said. Although it was planned to eject people not interested in the games, that might be easier said than done. There was also the concern that people leaving other closing premises might head to Ratbags, which could lead to "the real possibility of an increase in disorder in the area". If their appeal fails, they could try opening anyway but not serve alcohol - there are plenty of good non-alcoholic drinks they could serve between 4am and 8am, and they could keep serving pizza (which is really good there) during those four hours. It doesn't have to be about the booze.