Cheshire East Council has turned down a licence application for the lap dancing club on Grove Street.
The Council has refused to renew the twelve month sexual entertainment venue licence for the ST Lounge, which Van Leisure Ltd has operated in Wilmslow since 2009.
The General Licensing Sub-Committee considered the application by Van Leisure Ltd on Tuesday 9th April, during a meeting which lasted seven hours. However, due to the amount of information they needed to take account of, a decision was not reached until today (Monday, 15th April).
The refusal was made on the grounds that it would be an inappropriate use of the premises given its location on a shopping street like Grove Street, which is used by a wide range of people including children and young people, families and older people.
It was also deemed inappropriate because the location contains a significant number of residential properties in streets adjacent to Grove Street, as well as St Teresa's Catholic Church and Wilmslow Prep School. Other 'sensitive premises' were identified within the vicinity including Wilmslow High School, The Leisure Centre, St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church.
The Sub-Committee decided that the ST Lounge had become more prominent during the past 12 months due to the adverse publicity it had received. As a result they were informed that people were now tending to avoid walking past it, particularly in the evenings when they felt uncomfortable but also in the daytime.
The matters which were identified as having added to the raised awareness and concern included: an A-Board with an ambiguous image on it, left outside when the premises were closed, "House rules" flyers found on the pavement outside and the club's website, which has since been taken down.
In August 2012 Wilmslow Town Council made a recommendation to Cheshire East Council that the appropriate number of sexual entertainment venues in this locality should be nil, although Cheshire East Council had not given consideration to such a restriction.
The applicant, their legal representative and two witnesses for the applicant spoke at the General Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on April 9th. They also heard from a number of objectors and their representatives, including a legal representative for Make Wilmslow Matter, a group of local residents who campaigned against the application.
During the 28 day consultation period 390 letters of objection, a petition with approximately 930 signatures and two letters of support were received. There were no police representations.
Van Leisure Ltd had held a sexual entertainment venue licence for a year and a premises licence prior to that. They were forced to reapply for a licence on an annual basis following Cheshire East Council's adoption of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 which came into effect on 4th April 2011.
Speaking about the decision, Marion Amir-Hekmat, chairman of Make Wilmslow Matter said "This is brilliant news for Wilmslow and just proves what can be achieved when the whole community works together. The Council are proving to be responsive to the concerns of the Wilmslow community and this decision demonstrates Localism at its best.
"Our many thanks go to the local community and organisations who spent time looking into this important issue, the new law and making informed decisions for themselves. Special thanks must go to the many families, businesses, schools and churches who wrote to Cheshire East.
"Most commented they considered the location of a strip club on Grove Street, near churches, schools and residential areas to be inappropriate in both planning and licensing terms. Wilmslow Town Council and Cheshire East Councillors Barton, Fitzgerald and Menlove have all contributed to this result and we are very grateful for their involvement. This is a great result for the residents of Wilmslow. They make Wilmslow matter!"
Richard Williams, Managing Director from LR Law, who provided legal representation at the seven hour hearing said "The refusal to renew the Sexual Entertainment Venue Licence for ST Lounge on Grove Street in Wilmslow is a victory for common sense – it is quite apparent that Grove Street in not an appropriate location for lap dancing, as it is surrounded by residential areas, parks, leisure centres and churches. Looking at the Council's SEV Policy, you could not pick a worse location for a lap dancing club as it is surrounded by "sensitive" uses.
"The difficulty in opposing the renewal of the lap dancing licence was that the licence was granted in 2012, when the Sub-Committee considered the locality and deemed it to be appropriate. At this year's renewal, residents were fully prepared. They put a considerable amount of work into highlighting the sensitive uses nearby, through surveys, location plans and witness evidence.
"Other than via Judicial Review to the High Court, there is no right of appeal against this decision and the club will now have to stop providing sexual entertainment immediately."
Councillors Gary Barton, Wesley Fitzgerald and Rod Menlove, who spoke out to oppose the renewal of the sexual entertainment licence for the ST Lounge back in February, issued the following statement today.
"We are very pleased that Cheshire East Council's Licensing Committee has refused the renewal of a sexual entertainment license for the ST Lounge on Grove Street. We have said from the start that this is not a moral crusade; it is a case of what is appropriate for our main shopping street.
"As the three Councillors representing Wilmslow town centre, we were united in our belief that Grove Street is a wholly inappropriate location for this kind of establishment. Local opinion was clearly against the application with 390 letters of objection received by the Council and 930 signatures on an accompanying petition.
"We want Wilmslow to have an active and thriving night-time economy. But we also want Wilmslow to be a family friendly environment and a town that remains proud of the active part played in the local community by our churches and schools. This decision supports these ambitions and is good for Wilmslow."
Cllr Louise Brown, of Broken Cross and Upton ward, said "What a fantastic result, congratulations and well done to Marion and the Make Wilmslow Matter group for all their hard work and the working together of the people of Wilmslow to help make the town centre a quality welcoming family friendly place. Thank you to the Council for listening to local concerns."
Unfortunately we have been unable to obtain a comment from Van Leisure Ltd.
Comments
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So we`ll have another empty property.
I had lived near Grove street for around 6 months before I even realised what it was, I assumed it was just a closed down bar of some kind.
It doesn't effect me one or way or another as I had never been in there but I find it odd some people could have such a vendetta against it.
The ST Lounge may not close, as the alcohol license and opening hours still exist without objection, but if you want the previous licensed sexual entertainment offerred. punters will have to travel 10 miles into Mcr.
So Kids are wandering the street when the club is open? Schools and Churches are open when the club is open? Having given a license obviously not an issue but looks like the moral brigade has been active. ST I hope to read about you emptying the council coffers over this.
As Tony Newbolt says, the ST Lounge appears to be a victim of the self-appointed Moral Brigade. A correctly-run business is being forced to close, and jobs lost, simply because some people 'don't like it'. What sort of society is it that allows that to happen?
I agree that the ST Lounge should do whatever it can to get this overturned. In fact perhaps the Moral Brigade should target the Catholic Church instead, ironically the local presence of which is cited as a reason to close the ST Lounge, when that church is an organisation with a real history of shame!
If Grove Street is an inappropriate place for such a venue where exactly would be a good one? Maybe on a quite side street next door to a councillor !!!
Great point Vince. I will give full support to anyone starting a campaign to rid us of a Catholic Church in our midst (along with its considerate parkers on a Sunday morning). Perhaps it could be knocked down with Council connivance and a block of income producing flats built.
So these narrow minded people want it shut, thank you very much for another empty shop front as well as the loss of rates and the loss of jobs to all employed inside.
Old Wilmslow has to change, Make Wilmslow Matter should look at what effects the majority, not what they don't see at night when they are tucked up in bed.
Nobody has given any evidence of any problem caused by the ST club. I feel so sorry for the owners who have obviously worked hard to make their business work. A few years ago there were lots of problems at a previous bar on Grove Street. I want to know what has changed since the licence was granted last year.
The disdainful attitude to the councillors involved was also surprising. Most comments would be censored!!
More comments about the Catholic Church - perhaps in the present climate they would be well advised to keep their heads down!
The Catholic Church may be on shaky moral ground, but highlighting St Therea's, Wilmslow is unfair. Objectors can be from any local religious congregation, or agnostics.
According to one late night TV channel/prog SK9 postcode has the highest incidence for mail order bondage items.
I hope owners of ST Lounge will apply for a Judicial Review of CEC decision
My reference to the Catholic Church was generic, not aimed specifically at St Theresa's. It was the objectors who were specific, citing the presence of that church among others as a reason not to renew the ST Lounge's licence. In view of the Catholic Churche's undoubted poor moral record, that struck me as ironic, to say the least.