Exeter lap dance club wins go ahead
| Posted: April 30, 2009
Club owner Ali Anvari has been granted a licence to put on lap dancing shows in the Eden Lounge, above his EX4 bar in Fore Street, Exeter GARETH WILLIAMS EE310708_GW02_04
A CITY bar has been granted permission for a lap dancing club on its top floor.
The decision was made last night after city councillors heard several hours of argument from the bar's owner and objectors to the plan.
Ali Anvari, owner of Fore Street bar EX4, applied to change its premises licence so he can hold erotic dancing — including private naked shows — and employ up to 10 girls, in what will be called the Eden Lounge.
The proposals prompted concerns from police who said the current control and management of the bar was an issue.
Objections were also received from local residents, businesses and the nearby Mint Methodist Church.
John Bean, alcohol-related crime reduction officer for Devon and Cornwall police, said: "Our representation is mainly based upon crime and disorder issues which we've had at the premises.
"There have been a number of problems there recently. There are concerns about the premises and we are in close consultation with the owner and manager."
The Rev Andrew Sails, of the Mint Methodist Church, said the introduction of a lap dancing club into the area would be a "dangerous and unwelcome" move.
He said: "Our concern is that the introduction of lap dancing would tend to attract those who could use it as a cover for criminal aspects of the sex industry — including trafficking. It would also increase the risk that girls and women nearby would meet with unwelcome, intimidating and/or offensive attention and even physical attack."
Mark Honeysett, manager of the Walkabout bar in Fore Street, objected to the application because of noise.
And resident Sarah Wesley, who has lived opposite EX4 for a year-and-a-half, said she barely sleeps because of the noise and disturbance, a lot of which she claims comes from the bar.
But Mr Anvari, insisted the club would be well managed with tight security.
He said: "We want to turn the top floor into a lap dancing club purely for business reasons.
"We have put all our cards on the table. The police have seen the building, they know what we want to do.
"We will not just be targeting men, we also want to hold ladies' nights and gay nights at the club as well."
He added: "We have had a meeting with the police about the plans. They wanted to see how the place is going to be run. We are aware that the police have had some concerns about the bar. We had a meeting with the superintendent about our buy-one-get-one-free offer, which they wanted us to stop, which we have now."
The council's licensing committee granted the application subject to conditions relating to public safety. It found no evidence to support objections under the headings of crime and disorder, public nuisance or protecting children from harm.
After the meeting, Supt John Vellacott said: "I have my concerns, which I expressed to the hearing. I'm still not totally comfortable with the situation, however I respect the decision that's been made.
"Devon & Cornwall Constabulary will now need to consider its options."
Comments
Palmesan, Exeter - gateway to the western world its spelt Muslims not moslems. If you don't like it don't go in. Simple. It might be degrading but its not forced on you to see it.
Just what we need - men paying to degrade and abuse women who have so little to offer life they work as prostitutes. Is this 21st Century society? We do not have racist or homophobic 'entertainment.' Any man who does this must have a truly abusive and negative attitude towards women - seeing them as submissive, docile and controllable sexual servants. Who would want their daughter to work as a prostitute and earn a living this way, with men like this in the world? Roll on law change, it will be very hard to get an Sex Encounter Establishment licence in a few months. Any man that pays for sexual services is using a prostitute, and if they are trafficked the man is a rapist. End of. You sick, abusive people.
Er....15 new jobs? The lap dancers PAY to work at the club. They will NOT be employees of the club and they will NOT have employment rights. The owner will be making money out of fleecing the gullible punters and out of the girls who will have to pay a fee for just walking through the door in the evening. The only people who will get jobs will be the bar staff and the door staff (usually male). And well done to the club owner for sneaking in his licence application before the new legislation comes into force which will class lap dancing clubs more appropriately as sex encounter establishments. A difference of around 20 grand for a licence fee. To BN - no one is made to go, but normalising these places (there over 300 now in the country, many on our high streets) gives an acceptable air to an activity (a naked girl rubbing herself on a man's lap aka crotch for money) which is soon to be recognised formally as part of the sex industry. And as for no-one being made to work there...if a woman doesn't have many choices in life and is told that this is a glamorous and well paid "profession" then it's going to seem like a good choice to her. Perhaps we should be giving our daughters/sisters better choices than a profession where essentially they're treated as a sex object for the brief time that the man is paying the girl to strip and dance for him. Those in favour should do a bit more research on the subject before dismissing objectors as "fuddy duddys" (I am a 32 year old, non dungaree wearing, non moustache toting, heterosexual woman - yes, many of the objectors are even younger, and -shock horror - attractive, intelligent, well informed women). I hope Eden fails miserably as more and more people wise up to the fact that they are being fleeced by the club owners - customers and lap dancers alike. And to anyone who thinks this is a good idea..would you seriously want your daughter/sister/wife working in one? Most men wouldn't yet it's ok to treat someone else's daughter/sister/wife like a sex object. I am constantly amazed at the hypocrisy of the men who patronise these places and the double standards they are able to show to the women in their families to the women/girls who "choose" to work in these clubs. If you really think they're a good idea, you should read some of the resource on the Object website, object.org.uk, before dismissing objectors' concerns.
'Mark Honeysett, manager of the Walkabout bar in Fore Street, objected to the application because of noise'... This bloke runs Walkabout bar, who is he to complain! 'And resident Sarah Wesley, who has lived opposite EX4 for a year-and-a-half, said she barely sleeps because of the noise and disturbance, a lot of which she claims comes from the bar...' Quite simple, if you don't like noise, don't move into the city centre opposite a nightclub.
Anything that promotes the sexual exploitation of women is wrong. Some moslems and christians and others (in fact anyone who lives by a recognizable ethical code) say that society in this country is increasingly degenerate. Activities of this kind make a lot of people think it is okay to treat women as sex objects and by definition sexually available. This is wrong. And no number of spurious justifications will alter that.
??, exeter Easy - don't go. The underlying issue here is freedom of choice. No-one is MADE to go and no-one is MADE to dance
I think its disgusting!
Well done to Ali for having the guts to go ahead with this venture at EX4,especially in light of the current unstable economic climate, and despite the strip club on the quay "Tiffany's" and Mambos closing down due to the lack of trade last year... Good luck !
A lapdance club IS NOT a strip club....
Hey Mark from CREDITON .. What's this ..."WE are not a true city if WE do not have a strip club." Doesn't it read Exeter?