A lap dancing club can continue to operate on Grove Street despite objections from local residents, councillors and churches.
The ST Lounge was granted a new Sexual Entertainment Venue Licence at a meeting of the General Licensing Sub-Committee on Thursday, 15th March.
The club, which has been operated since 2009 by Van Leisure Ltd, were forced to reapply for a licence in December 2011 following Cheshire East Council's adoption of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 which came into effect from 4th April 2011.
The adoption of this legislation means the Council has the ability to impose conditions on licences: these could relate to matters such as the hours of opening, the conduct on the premises and the responsibility of the licence holders. It also give powers to refuse future applications if the Council determines that there are already an appropriate number of similar establishments in the locality.
The hours granted for relevant entertainment, including lap dancing and strip shows with full nudity, were: Monday to Thursday 9.30pm to 3.30am, Friday and Saturday 9.30pm to 4am and Sunday 9.30pm to 3.30am.
The Police had no objections to the licence being granted. They did ask that condition 34 from the Premises Licence be retained and this was agreed with the applicant.
"34. Where performers who are not being collected from the door of the premises by taxi or other transport, they will be chaperoned back to their vehicles by escorts provided by the licence holder. This is necessary as there is no car park within sight of the premises and for the safety of the persons performing in the premises."
The Council received thirteen letters of objection in relation to the application, during the twenty-eight day consultation period, on the grounds that the venue and location is totally inappropriate being in close proximity to churches, schools, residential areas and community facilities.
A petition containing hundreds of signatures was also submitted to the council but we were informed that the petition could not be taken into account because it had been collected after the deadline for responses.
Marion Amir-Hekmat told wilmslow.co.uk "A group of residents collected over 550 signatures in just one week, asking Cheshire East Council not to award the ST Lounge a Sexual Entertainment Venue Licence. They 'strongly object to this sort of club being situated in a busy shopping street, a thoroughfare for families near churches and schools'.
"As they had not seen the licence advertisement, which had been placed in the Manchester Evening News, they had been denied the opportunity to voice their objection."
Revd Dr Kirsty Thorpe, from Wilmslow United Reformed Church, attended the meeting to represent Churches Together in Wilmslow and support the representatives of St Teresa's Catholic Church on Green Lane.
She told wilmslow.co.uk "The decision to allow the ST Lounge to continue as a venue for live sexual entertainment will be revisited by Cheshire East a year from now. I hope that Wilmslow residents who oppose the club's inappropriate central location will now gather their arguments and be ready to speak out when we next get the chance."
Unfortunately I was unable to attend this meeting as my car had a puncture. The minutes are not yet published, but when they are available from Cheshire Est Council we will add any further information.
