The executive director of a Nova Scotia restaurant association says new amendments to province's liquor licensing regulations will accelerate the process of obtaining the licence.

But that doesn't necessarily mean it will be easier to get a licence, said Gordon Stewart of the Nova Scotia Restaurant Association.

He said the amendments, which take effect on Jan. 4, eliminate a middleman when applying for a liquor licence.

It gives the province's Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations department the sole responsibility for granting and enforcing liquor licences.

Previously, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board was responsible for granting permanent liquor licences while the province issued temporary ones.

But a business will still need to tick all the boxes on the province's list of requirements for getting a liquor licence, Stewart said Tuesday.

He said the change, although necessary, is a minor one and he hopes it's the first of many to come. He said the association has made 58 recommendations to the province for changes to the Liquor Control Act.

For example, he said if a business wants to change their licence from one type to another — for example, from a lounge to a cabaret — the business must shut down for three months and apply for the licence. He said that needs to change.

Stewart said he hopes many of the recommendations will be implemented in the next six months.

The province's newest amendments also eliminate the need for a public hearing unless there are any objections to granting a licence.

The province previously required a hearing even if there were no objections. Stewart called that process "outdated."

"Those public hearings cost Nova Scotia thousands and thousands of dollars and virtually no one shows up, ever," he said. "Getting rid of those was a good thing overall."

A news release from the province said eliminating the hearings will save about $200,000 annually.