REFUSED: No Strip Club For Wrexham Decide Councillors

Controversial plans to open a lap dancing and pole dancing bar in Wrexham Town Centre have been rejected – although the exact details on the decision are not known.

Today’s Environmental Licensing Committee followed on from a meeting in July 2015, which saw members of the committee refuse the granting of a Sex Establishment Licence for a lap dancing and pole dancing club in Wrexham Town Centre.

Following on from July’s meeting the applicants were invited back at a later date to argue their case for the granting of the licence.

Speaking at the meeting today was Paul Douglas (who’s Twitter profile states: “Applications, Representation at Hearings, APLH and DPS Training, Covert Evidence Gathering, Expert Witness for the Legal Profession. You name it, we do it!”) and Eleri Thomas, who is the director of Maxi Promotions Ltd (the applicants).

In what was a lengthy discussion, the meeting began with Mr Douglas addressing the concerns put forward by objectors to the lap dancing venue – with a total of four petitions submitted opposing the venue, along with comments from local religious groups, residents and the manager of Snowdon Hall student accommodation in the town centre.

Mr Douglas said: “The application was bound to meet with objections. The trouble for us is we don’t know who the objectors are, the vast majority are anonymous.

“Our belief is that most of these objections are on moral grounds. Objections based on moral grounds are irrelevant. The points raised in objections are points you will consider seriously, the fears raised will simply not happen.

“My experience in lap dancing stretches back 20 years. Oh behalf of applications I’ve been asked to report on suitability on venues and against. I know how lap dancing venues operate and I know how they should operate.”

Mr Douglas continued onto address the concerns put forward by objectors, including comments made about the proximity of the venue to St Giles Church and also Snowdon Hall Student Accommodation.

Overall notices of objection were submitted by the local community councillor, six church organisations and eight individuals. Four petitions against the application were also submitted.

Mr Douglas said: “We have to consider the close proximity of St Giles Church, it is highly unlikely a church goer uses Abbott street. If they did, what would they see? Before 9pm a closed door between Penny Black. What would they see after 9pm? An open door, a door supervisor which would look like any other bar in Wrexham. It will be closed behind curtains, no advertising and no distribution of flyers. Nothing to see through this door.

“There is student accommodation in Snowdon Hall, which is occupied for part of the year. There are no families in town, nearest family accommodation is Bridge Street.

“Another area to take into consideration is schools and nurseries, which are on the southern side of Brook Street and no where near Abbott Street. It is highly unlikely any child would pass at any time of the day.”

Mr Douglas added: “There is a lot of scaremongering being done and people are being whipped up into a maelstrom of fear.”

The committee were assured by Mr Douglas that the premises would be anonymous, with no notable advertising on the venue and that no dancers would be visible. It was also noted that initially the ‘Midnight Lounge’ would operate from 9pm (not midnight!) on Thursday to Saturday, but would look to open throughout the week at a later stage.

“…more chance of seeing a naked woman in an art gallery that in Abbot Street” (this is Lap Dancing decision meeting, not Arts Hub!)

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 12, 2015

However the information put forward by Mr Douglas was challenged by members of the committee, who questioned his research into Abbott Street and comments made by the number of people who regularly use that route through the town centre.

Cllr Brian Cameron said: “You’ve made reference to Abbott Street and St Giles Church – I can understand where you are coming from about the one way system and driving, but people don’t
always go to church on Sunday in a car. They do a lot of walking, through the town, meet up before or after church. They could go down or up about street when coming from town.

“There are evenings when they have fairs, there’s a big festival where there are market stalls which are, if not past 9pm up to 9pm. There are a couple of inaccuracies in what you’re saying.”

These concerns were echoed by Cllr Paul Pemberton, who said: “It isn’t off the beaten track to be honest. There are two pubs and two taxi offices and a takeaway, it is a busy area. Another point about schools, it wouldn’t be more than 200-300 yards away from St Giles School.”

Cllr Geoff Lowe added: “It concerns me about his research into Abbott Street, how much other information is in depth as it could be?”

Mr Douglas requested to withdraw comments made describing Abbott Street as ‘off the beaten track comment’ and to rephrase it as not as busy as the main town centre streets.

Concerns about the link between lap dancing and prostitution were also raised, along with queries over the welfare of the female dancers while they were in the venue and the potential increase of crime in the area.

Miss Thomas told the committee that there is a strict code of conduct policy and that facilities for the dancers would be separate from the public.

It was also noted that a full mobile CCTV system would be operational along with several security guards.

Miss Thomas added: “In the last venue i supervised, we only had three incidents in two years where we had to ask people to leave. I’m unsure how many incidents there are in bars but I imagine it’s more than three in two years. We are selective on who we let in, the prices are expensive and crime levels aren’t high.”

Mr Douglas said: “If we do something wrong a sure Inspector Wycherely or Council officers will be onto us. I am sure these premises will operate with no issues whatsoever.”

As well as unable to document any vote or debate, it means we would have to speculate to what is going on in there! pic.twitter.com/0Sa6cwpIiN

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 12, 2015

We can’t report on the ins and outs of the decision making process as members of the press, public and the applicants were asked to leave the room. After almost an hour of deliberation it was announced that the application had been refused, with no details provided as to why.

We are unable to report on the debate that the Councillors had to reach that decision, nor which Councillors supported it or were against it, or how close a vote was if it took place.

After the meeting Mr Douglas tweeted to say ‘Well, no SEV in the village! #wrexham refuse licence!’. Despite the fact that Wrexham is neither a village nor a Little Britain sketch it appears to have been a common phrase used when the application was mentioned by Mr Douglas on twitter.