As Gunnedah’s Aldi awaits its liquor licence, some communities have voiced their concerns about bringing low-cost alcohol to their towns along with its other budget-friendly products.
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Armidale and Gunnedah are the latest communities to have the German supermarket chain spring up.
Armidale’s store is still in the construction phase but Senior Constable Chris Borger said the town doesn’t need another alcohol outlet.
Constable Borger and the Armidale Dumaresq Council’s community safety committee have banded together to stop what the constable has labelled as, “over-representation of liquor outlets in Armidale” and concerns over, “the high incidence of alcohol-related crime”.
The Gunnedah store which opened earlier this year still has not received its liquor licence.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority confirmed that 17 residents, NSW Police, NSW Department of Health (Hunter New England Local Health District), Roads & Maritime Services, and the Secretary of NSW Trade & Investment all made objections against Aldi’s application to sell liquor from its store.
The decision for both Armidale and Gunnedah is up to the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority.
A spokesman for Aldi confirmed yesterday the store was still seeking approval for its Gunnedah store but had recently been approved to sell alcohol at its Armidale store.
– Michael Fairbairn
