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Victorian cake shop faces liquor licence backlash

Thornbury's Melissa Cake Shop has recently been on the receiving end of protests by neighbouring traders following its application for a liquor license

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1 Mar 2012
Delima Shanti

Thornbury's Melissa Cake Shop has recently been on the receiving end of protests by neighbouring traders following its application for a liquor license. Proprietor John Apokoroniotakis has applied for a liquor license to accompany the tapas-style meals he was planning to introduce to his menu.

But in February, traders and surrounding residents received an anonymous notice urging them to object to Darebin Council about Mr Apokoroniotakis' application for a licence. Neighbouring traders have complained that the council should deny Mr Apokoroniotakis' application as the area is a "family-oriented area", and granting Melissa Cake Shop the licence could make the area "more noisy".

"We do not want drunks urinating in our streets and gardens, yelling all night and blocking our driveways!," the notice read. However, Mr Apokoroniotakis said there are other businesses in the strip with a licence to serve liquor with meals and that the Darebin Council would not have much ground on which to deny him the licence.

"We are open until 9.30 at night and the café has the capacity to fit 60 people. There are other places that have a liquor licence and are open late too," he said. "We are planning on renovating and expanding the café, making the space bigger, more like a restaurant, which is why we are only applying for the licence now." Mr Apokoroniotakis, who is currently still pending response regarding the licence, said the backlash may have been caused by a dispute he had with an unnamed neighbour of the High Street business.

"This person has friends in the council, which could present a conflict of interest on the deciding panel's part," he said. Should his application be rejected, Mr Apokoroniotis said he would be taking up the case with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

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