Who it's for
An objection to a liquor licence in Victoria, or to a planning permit, usually comes from neighbours worried about noise, crowds or late nights. Sometimes it comes from council. Either way, your application keeps going.
- Neighbours objected during your liquor licence notice period
- Residents objected after council gave notice of your planning application
- Council has objected to your liquor licence
- An objector has said they will take your permit to VCAT
Not you? If police objected, see police objections to your licence. Still preparing? See a new liquor licence.
What to do first
Don't take it personally. An objection is a formal step, answered on facts.
Don't confront objectors. A heated conversation over the fence can be quoted back later.
Don't promise neighbours what you can't deliver. Anything you offer may become a condition.
Objection to a liquor licence
Most new licences and many variations must be advertised with a public notice at the site for 28 days. During that time, people can object. Afterwards, a signed Statement of Display (confirming the notice was up) is lodged with Liquor Control Victoria (LCV), which weighs the objections when it decides. A clear red line plan, showing exactly where liquor can be served, often answers concerns about outdoor areas.
Residents' objections to a planning permit
Council often gives neighbours notice of a planning application, and they can object. Council then decides, and a clear answer to each objection at that stage matters. See planning permits for a new venue.
How to respond to an objection
Take each point on its merits. Answer real concerns with facts: hours, capacity, queues, music, deliveries. Where a concern is fair, propose a condition aimed at it rather than one that limits the whole venue. On a variation or amendment, keep to the change you're asking for. That is what is assessed.
Anything you promise may become a condition. Only offer what you can do every trading night.
How it works
We answer objections in writing and talk to the decision maker.
- Read every objection We list each concern and sort amenity, planning and liquor issues.
- Check the facts We test each concern against your plans and how the venue will run.
- Prepare the response A written submission answering each point, with any conditions you will accept. You approve it first.
- Manage it to a decision We deal with the LCV officer or council planner directly and, if it goes to VCAT, prepare and present the case.
Answer the change, not the whole venue. On a variation or amendment, the change is what gets assessed.
Speak with Jacob
Principal. Twelve years running venues and working inside local government.
The first conversation is free.
Book a 15-minute call(03) 7064 8477We reply within 24 hours.
Fees and timing
The fee is fixed before we start. Objections add time, depending on how many there are and the decision maker's workload.
- First call
- Free, 15 minutes
- Our fee
- Fixed fee, quoted before we start
- Liquor notice
- 28 days on site, then the Statement of Display is lodged
- Planning decision
- 60 statutory days for a standard application; the clock pauses for notice and further information
What we need from you
The more we know about how you'll trade, the better the answer.
- The objections, or the letter telling you about them
- Your application, plans and red line plan
- Proposed hours, capacity and music
- Anything you've already said to neighbours
Questions
Can residents stop my liquor licence?
Not on their own. Residents can object on amenity grounds during the 28-day notice period, but LCV decides. It weighs the objections against your response and any conditions you propose. A well-answered objection often ends in conditions that deal with the concern rather than a refusal, so every point deserves a careful, factual reply. Council and Victoria Police can object as well.
How do I respond to an objection?
In writing, point by point, with facts. List each concern, check it against how the venue will actually run, and answer it plainly. Where a concern is fair, propose a condition aimed at it, such as hours for an outdoor area or a noise limiter for amplified music. Specific answers persuade; general reassurance doesn't. We draft the response, you approve it, and we lodge it.
What counts as a valid objection?
For a liquor licence, members of the public can object on amenity grounds, meaning the effect on the area around the venue; police and council can object too. For a planning permit, an objection must be in writing, give reasons, and say how the objector would be affected. Objections outside these grounds carry less weight, and we say so.
Does an objection mean my permit goes to VCAT?
No. Council decides the application first, objections and all. VCAT is only involved if someone applies for review: objectors if council grants the permit, or you if council refuses it or imposes conditions you can't work with. Answering objections well at council stage makes a review less likely, and leaves you ready if one comes. If it does, we prepare the case and present it.