The businesses at Edgeware and Richmond villages claim aggressive begging and petty crime has also been on the rise over the past year, with some incidents leading to police involvement.
They requested Christchurch City Council consider imposing alcohol bans in the areas.
Council senior policy analyst Teena Crocker said implementing a ban can be a long process and often requires a lot of resources to investigate.
"In a lot of these cases, there are activities happening that aren't necessarily directly related to people drinking in public.
"There's absolutely crime and disorder, and a lot of anti-social activities, but the question for us in terms of using this bylaw is whether it relates to alcohol consumption in public places."
In response to the request, city councillors opted to spend six months working with police and other agencies to investigate the causes of anti-social behaviour in Edgeware Village.
However, they postponed making a decision on a similar request to look into an alcohol ban in the northern Stanmore Rd area until more information is available.
More than 12 areas across Christchurch already have alcohol bans in place, including the central city, Linwood, and Woolston Village.
If alcohol is found to be an issue during the council’s six-month monitoring period, councillors could consider a trial alcohol ban, which could become permanent if successful.
- By Geoff Sloan, made with the support of NZ On Air
