At a glance
- Venue
- Alpine hotel
- Place
- Victorian high country
- Issue
- Licence variation; Victoria Police objected
- Result
- Terms agreed with local police and put to Liquor Control Victoria (LCV)
What was at risk
The hotel wanted to change its liquor licence. A police objection can slow a variation down. It can also lead to conditions that don't fit how a venue actually trades. Crowd controllers on every level of a building, for example, are a cost every night they are required.
The obstacle
Victoria Police objected to the variation. Crowd controllers are usually tied to music above background level and late trading, and the hotel has a basement nightclub as well as upper levels.
Left to run its course, an objection is answered with written submissions and the matter waits on Liquor Control Victoria to weigh both sides.
What we did
We used Liquor Control Victoria's faster pathway for prescribed variations.
We also negotiated directly with local police, rather than leaving the objection to run on paper. We worked through each concern until both sides could agree:
- Crowd controllers where they matter. They were kept only for the basement nightclub. The upper levels were exempt.
- A noise limiter. A noise limiter condition was added. For amenity, a noise limiter is often a better answer than crowd controllers.
- A capacity figure. We agreed a patron capacity figure with police.
The hotel agreed the terms, and local police were supportive.
The result
A faster process. Terms that work. The agreed terms were put to Liquor Control Victoria.
What a police objection to a licence variation means for other venues
A police objection is often the start of a conversation, not the end of an application. Targeted conditions, such as crowd controllers for one part of the venue only, or a noise limiter, can answer police concerns without capping the whole venue.
For a variation, the question for LCV is the change you are asking for, not the whole licence again. That keeps the discussion narrow. Read more about answering a police objection and changing your liquor licence.