The Highlands Motorsport Park has sought changes to its liquor licence to cover the whole site and extend its hours so it can host more weddings and corporate functions, sparking an objection from a neighbour.
The application was heard by the Central Otago District Licensing Committee on Thursday. The committee, chairman Bob McNeil, Tanya Surrey and Michael MacAvoy, reserved its decision. Highlands sought a renewal of its on-licence and wanted to change the licence conditions.
Instead of having the licensed area within the complex's museum building, it asked for the area to cover the whole park. As well, it wanted to extend the hours, keeping the opening time at 9am but extending the closing time from 10.30pm to 12.30am.
The restaurant on site, The Nose, was covered by a separate liquor licence.
Alan McKay objected to the hours being extended and said the noise of traffic leaving the venue was a concern.
He lived about 200m from the Highlands museum and had lived in that house for about 20 years.
''Any variation of those hours will have an effect on the enjoyment of our property,'' he said.
The motorsport park had been very successful since it opened a year ago and he thought its popularity would continue to grow. If the closing time was 12.30am, it would be 1am before the last people left the site, he said.
''This is our home and we put up with the day-to-day noise [from Highlands], which we don't enjoy; please don't spoil our nights as well.''
Highlands manager Mike Sentch said it was always intended to use the site for various events including corporate functions, weddings, product launches and award evenings but the demand for those events had exceeded expectations.
The current closing time was a barrier to people using the park as a venue as it did not give enough time for functions, and had been a ''significant constraint'' on the number of bookings, he said.
Although the venue could apply for special licences for events outside the terms of its current licence, that process was costly and would create uncertainty.
''Whilst Highlands is a motorsport park, racing cars is not the predominant activity on a day-to-day basis.
''Highlands is as much a tourism business, conference and functions venue as it is a race track,'' Mr Sentch said. Asked about the logistics of hosting functions at a race track, Mr Sentch said the track was always closed to the public if any vehicles were on it and if other events were staged near the track, there was no racing -''it's clear cut''.
The venue had hosted five weddings so far, with several product launches and corporate functions. Police and Public Health South medical officer of health, Dr Derek Bell, had no objection to the Highlands application.
Senior Constable Gordon Pay said the events the applicant had sought special liquor licences for had been well planned and well managed.
Central Otago District Council licensing inspector Ray Applegarth recommended the licence be renewed for three years and the hours be whatever the committee approved.
He said Highlands asked for the whole park to be included to give more flexibility for function locations, not because it wanted to use the entire site to sell and supply alcohol.
Highlands counsel Bridget Irving said the concerns raised by Mr McKay about traffic noise were irrelevant under the new alcohol laws.
Traffic movements were a resource consent matter.
