Woolworths has scrapped its controversial plan to build a Dan Murphy's megastore near three dry Indigenous communities after intense community backlash.
Aboriginal leaders , which would have been within walking distance of the city's largest Indigenous community in Bagot.
In a statement on Thursday, a Woolworths Group spokesperson said an independent review had found the concerns of stakeholders had not been sufficiently addressed and the development, near the communities of Bagot, Minmarama Park, and Kulaluk, should not go ahead.
The Woolworths Group board had supported the recommendation, the statement read.
Indigenous-led community groups have previously accused Woolworths of failing to consult with the local community, prompting 45 organisations to sign an open letter to the company urging them to axe the plans.
"Woolworths hasn't consulted with the community ... They haven't come to the peak organisations, like AMSANT, the peak body that represents the health and well-being of Aboriginal Territorians," Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) chief executive John Paterson said last year.
"We don't need more alcohol-related violence in our community. We don't need more domestic and family violence, and we don't need more Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder."
Dan Murphy's parent company Endeavour Group, which is owned by the Woolworths Group, previously said it had worked with community elders and agreed on measures to lower the risk of alcohol-related harm.
John Paterson, chief executive at the Northern Territory Medical Service Alliance. Source: SBS News
This included agreeing to move the bottle shop 1.3 kilometres further away from the three nearby dry communities.
Alcohol consumption is higher in the Northern Territory than in any other jurisdiction in Australia.
The Territory also holds the highest proportion of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations, with a third of its residents victims of alcohol-related abuse in 2019.
More than 155,000 people signed a petition calling for plans for the store to be scrapped.
With Aneeta Bhole
