Melburnians and tourists hoping to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine as the sun sets over the St Kilda foreshore could find themselves in trouble with the law this summer under a contentious proposal to ban alcohol by the local council.
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The plan by Port Phillip Council would have all alcohol prohibited between 5pm and 9am in some of the suburb's most popular parks stretching almost two kilometres along St Kilda foreshore.
The proposal, which would impose a ban on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons, will be decided on at a council meeting on December 9 but is believed to have the support of a majority of councillors.
The trial would apply to the entire St Kilda foreshore, O'Donnell Gardens near Luna Park, Marina Park, and Sandridge beach, next to Princes Pier in Port Melbourne. An alcohol ban at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens for a second consecutive Australia Day has also been proposed.
Mayor Amanda Stevens said the council would consider the recommendations "on how to best manage public spaces to ensure Port Phillip is a safe and welcoming place for the many residents and visitors who enjoy our parks and foreshore over summer".
After this year's Australia Day celebrations, Ms Stevens had vowed to investigate solutions when a stretch of St Kilda foreshore was left covered with the litter of revellers.
She said the proposed ban extension was part of a summer safety action plan made in response to concerns raised by the community last summer.There had not been any community consultation in relation to extending the ban because it was only a trial and had not yet been voted on by council, she said.
"Police have advised council that extending the ban would help set the tone for a family-friendly environment and allow police to chat with revellers to encourage the right behaviour before people become overly affected by alcohol," Ms Stevens said.
The City of Port Phillip has the highest proportion of alcohol-related deaths in Victoria and since 2001 there has been a 48 per cent increase in the number of alcohol- related assaults in the municipality, Victoria Police data has revealed.
In January, the City of Yarra also banned drinking in a section of Edinburgh Gardens on Australia Day after the park was trashed on New Year's Eve, leaving the council with a clean-up bill of more than $20,000. Yarra bolstered its bans again in August, prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in all public places including parks during New Year's Eve, from 9pm on December 30 to 9am on January 1.
