Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Use this plan when your client wishes to apply for a new liquor licence in New South Wales, whether for a hotel, general bar, small bar, restaurant, nightclub, packaged liquor store, producer or wholesaler. Open this plan before the client signs a lease or commits to premises: the licence pages published by Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) ask for a copy of the council development approval or consent, a floor plan of the proposed licensed area, a plan of management and, for many licence types, a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE), all of which must be ready when the application is lodged online. There is no pre-lodgement consultation period: stakeholder notification happens after lodgement. Early preparation is still worthwhile where the premises are in a sensitive location or the applicant expects police or the local health district to oppose the application.
This plan covers the full application lifecycle before L&GNSW and the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) in New South Wales. ILGA delegates routine applications to L&GNSW staff and decides complex or contentious matters itself. A prescribed decision made by a delegate (for example on a small bar licence, or a packaged liquor licence limited to telephone, online and other remote sales) can be reviewed by ILGA under s 36A of the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 (NSW). Certain ILGA decisions (for example the grant or removal of a hotel licence, a club licence, a nightclub on-premises licence or a bottle shop packaged liquor licence) can be reviewed on the merits by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division, under s 13A of that Act and the Administrative Decisions Review Act 1997 (NSW). Three forks extend the plan: premises in an area with a high concentration of licensed premises, including the former Sydney CBD Entertainment and Kings Cross cumulative impact assessment precincts (Fork A - no cumulative impact area is currently designated in NSW), remote delivery packaged liquor licences (Fork B - phone, fax, mail order or internet orders only), and applications opposed by police or the local health district (Fork C).
Use this fork when the proposed licensed premises are in an area with a high concentration of licensed premises, including the Sydney CBD Entertainment and Kings Cross precincts. Those precincts were formerly subject to a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA). The Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) announced on 16 August 2024 that it had decided to revoke that CIA and to withdraw its Guideline 18, and Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) states that there are currently no areas of NSW designated as a cumulative impact area and that ILGA has no current set guidelines for one. No presumption against new licences applies. ILGA has said, however, that removing the CIA does not prevent it from considering outlet density, safety or other relevant matters, and the density of licensed premises and the cumulative impact of a further premises remain express considerations under ILGA Guideline 6.
Use this fork when the applicant proposes to operate a packaged liquor business exclusively by taking orders over the phone, by fax, by mail order or through the internet, with no walk-in retail sales to the public. The pathway for a remote delivery (online or delivery only) packaged liquor licence differs from a bottle shop in four ways: it is a Limited Notification Class A application, so the applicant has no requirement to notify neighbours or other stakeholders, while a bottle shop is a full notification (Class D) application with a 100 metre neighbour radius; a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE) is still required and must be lodged with the application (there is no document called a Statement of Relationship with Private Entities); the plan of management follows the L&GNSW guidance for delivery only licences, which deals with proof of age, delivery and same day delivery; and a decision made by an L&GNSW delegate is reviewable by the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) under s 36A of the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 (NSW), not by NCAT as a bottle shop decision would be.
Use this fork when NSW Police or the Local Health District (LHD) lodges a submission opposing the liquor licence application, or indicates before lodgement that it will. Both are notified of applications by Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) (police for every application, the Local Health District for full notification applications) and may make a submission during the noticeboard period. Opposition from either has two practical consequences: a matter that would ordinarily be decided by an L&GNSW delegate but is especially contentious must be referred to the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) for its consideration, and the applicant will need to answer the submission with evidence.
The practitioner confirms the applicant's documents and training: for an individual applicant a National Police Certificate issued within the last three months, an RSA competency card and Licensee training where required; for an organisation its ABN or ACN, officeholder details and a current ASIC extract. The notification class is identified from the L&GNSW notification table: limited notification Class A, B or C, or full notification Class D. The class settles whether a SoRPE is required, who the applicant must notify and whether the neighbour radius is 50 metres or 100 metres. Where a SoRPE is required it is completed on the approved form and lodged with the application; consultation is optional. A venue-specific liquor plan of management is drafted. The application is lodged online. Within two working days of lodgement the site notice is fixed to the front of the premises and copies are delivered to neighbouring occupiers; L&GNSW notifies police, the local consent authority and the other government stakeholders itself. The application is advertised on the Liquor & Gaming Application Noticeboard for up to 30 days (14 days for a straightforward restaurant with no authorisations). At the end of the noticeboard period the applicant is given the submissions and may respond. The application is then determined by an L&GNSW delegate or by ILGA and the outcome is published. Review periods are generally 28 days, and the closing date for each application is shown on the Noticeboard.
Key legislation: Liquor Act 2007 (NSW) s 3 (objects), s 40 (licence applications), s 72I (statement of risks and potential effects; under s 72I(3) the Authority must be satisfied that the overall impact of the licence will not be detrimental to the wellbeing of the local or broader community), ss 47A and 47B (licence conditions); Liquor Regulation 2018 (NSW); Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 (NSW) s 6(3) (Ministerial directions), s 13A (review by NCAT of decisions of the Authority on prescribed applications), s 36A (review by the Authority of prescribed decisions made by its delegates); Administrative Decisions Review Act 1997 (NSW); ILGA Guideline 6 (consideration of overall impact under s 72I(3): the local community is generally assessed by reference to the Statistical Area Level 2, suburb or town and the broader community by reference to the local government area; the Authority may have regard to BOCSAR crime statistics, ABS socio-demographic data, licence density data and NSW Health data); Ministerial Directions to ILGA dated 1 July 2025, issued by the Hon. David Harris MP under s 6(3) of the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 (NSW) (ILGA must give each of the objects of the Act equal weight, and any licence condition must be justified as being required for the individual venue based on its specific set of circumstances). Liquor Regulation 2018 (NSW): cl 21 (notification of limited and full notification applications), cl 23 (notice fixed to the premises), cl 27 (applications that need a SoRPE), cl 29 (preparing a SoRPE). Noticeboard period: up to 30 days, or 14 days for a straightforward restaurant with no authorisations. National Police Certificate (individual applicants): issued within the last three months.
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the Liquor: Licence Application and Community Impact Statement (Applicant) matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for Licensing cases, outlining the standard ADMINISTRATIVE process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
| Field | Token | Type | Required | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter(4) | ||||
| Matter numberⓘ | matter.matterNumber | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter title | matter.title | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter typeⓘ | matter.matterType | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter status | matter.status | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Client(1) | ||||
| Client name | matter.clientName | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
The applicant and premises documents are assembled and the notification class is confirmed, so that the notification list, the SoRPE (where required) and the plan of management can be prepared for lodgement.
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The applicant knows exactly who must be notified and can complete notification within two working days of lodging. No consultation period has to run before lodgement.
The formal application is on foot. The L&GNSW will publish the application on the Public Application Noticeboard, triggering the post-lodgement advertising period.
All statutory post-lodgement notification obligations satisfied. The application is under assessment by L&GNSW or ILGA.
The client has a final licence determination. If the outcome is unsatisfactory and reviewable, a review application has been filed within the review period.