A Lyall Bay restaurant finally received its liquor licence despite concerns from neighbours that the street’s parking congestion would worsen as a result.
Concerned neighbour Rose Johns said parking had become a serious issue near the Botanist – a new vegetarian restaurant on Lyall Parade.
“Every day we have to act like parking wardens. Most weekends we have three or four people parked over our drive,” she said.
But Johns did not blame the restaurant’s owners and said the street’s limited parking was a problem the Wellington City Council needed to solve.
“I’ve put in a request to get resident’s parking and to get yellow lines over the driveway,” she said. “The council wouldn’t listen to us.”
The Botanist’s owner Lydia Suggate said Johns often rang to complain about customers and rubbish trucks parking over her driveway but believed Johns had little evidence to confirm the cars belonged to her customers.
Suggate and Johns first crossed paths after Johns opposed to the Botanist’s application for a liquor licence. Johns gathered 25 signatures from neighbours.
Suggate had applied for the restaurant’s licence in October and hoped to have approval in time for its opening in late January.
However, it was not approved in time. The restaurant opened on schedule and operated as an alcohol-free café for its first two months of business.
In January, Suggate appealed to the Lyall Bay community to send messages of support for the liquor licence application and received 40 messages from neighbours within 24 hours.
“The rest of the community has been amazing,” she said.
Suggate said it was “such a relief” to finally have the on-licence approved.
The Botanist has launched a new dinner menu to accompany the liquor licence.