Sex Shops in London

Soho Books, is said to be the last visible adult establishment in Caledonian Road, Kings Cross. The owners have now applied to an Islington Council planning committee to change the use from retail to a restaurant or drinking establishment.

If the application goes through, Cllr Paul Convery, who represents Caledonian Ward, said:

This is very significant -- this is the last visible sex business on the Caledonian Road. There are a couple of subterranean establishments, sex encounter and blue movie sorts of places, but they are hidden and will be out of business soon.

Now it's a modern and revitalised neighbourhood. We have raided, closed down and regulated these business out of existence. I wouldn't say the war is won, by this could be yet another decisive victory in the battle against sleaze, vice and pornography in King's Cross.

Sex shops seems to be fast disappearing in Soho.

Janus closed its doors on Old Compton Street last year and is now some trendy clothes store.

The Soho Original at 46 Dean Street is now a cafe and DVD XXX Extra is no longer on Rupert Street (but might have moved nearby).

Another Soho Original shop (called Soho Vice) opposite the main store on Brewer Street was boarded up when I went past on Tuesday.

Soon there won't be any left!

Another unlicensed Soho sex shop on Walkers Court has been warned to cease trading as part of Westminster Council's long-running campaign against unlicensed shops selling hardcore DVDs.

Westminster Council allows a limited number of vendors of adult DVDs, magazines and sex toys to trade in the West End, but such businesses are obliged to pay extortionate licence fees that cost about £ 30,000 per year.

Enterprise chief Councillor Brian Connell said licensing council staff were working hard to put the remaining unlicensed sex shops in the streets and alleyways around Brewer Street out of business. Connell told the West End Extra:

 In my view, cleaning up the worst excesses of this trade is good for London and good for Westminster.

It's what we said we would do prior to the Olympics, so it is delivering on a commitment, and it also has the effect of making sure that legitimate businesses don't run the risk of losing market share.

In 1999 Soho had 61 unlicensed sex shops. It now has nine, and of these, the courts are set to hear three closure hearings in the coming year. The council's declared intention is for no unlicensed sex DVD shops to remain operational by the start of the Olympics.

Update: Meanwhile in Islington

3rd February 2012. See  article from  islingtontribune.com

Islington's last unlicensed sex shop has shut after a council raid found unclassified DVDs on the premises. Trading SubStandards and licensing staff visited DJD Retail, trading as Bookshop, at York Way in May last year, and seized DVDs and videos.

The sole officer of the company, David Darbo, pleaded guilty to eight offences under the Video Recordings Act 1984 at Highbury Magistrates' Court last month.

Darbo was fined £ 3,150 and ordered to pay £ 1,449 costs. DJD Retail admitted eight offences and was fined £ 100 for one offence.

A Sex shop is planned in the business park location suggested by nutters who helped get a previous location rejected.

Deborah Flack's application to open a sex shop in Border's Lane, Debden, provoked 60 letters of objection to Epping Forest Council and a 250-signature petition before it was rejected in March.

She now wants to open a shop at the Seedbed business park in Langston Road.

Sex shop objector Maria Higgs said: It's definitely a more appropriate area to have it. I would rather not have it at all, anywhere, but Border's Lane was not right. We did say as part of our argument why didn't they put it somewhere like (Langston Road).

Ian King, a pastor at the Restore Community Church said: It's away from schools. I think it's a more appropriate place. I would still maintain that it's not a positive development for the community, even if it's not in the neighbourhood.

Comments on the latest application can be made until June 13.

A former Richmond councillor is calling for a referendum on whether there should be sex shops in the borough.

Barrister Phillip Taylor said:

There is a need for local people to be more involved with the decision-making process. I am asking it be referred to full council for a referendum to be held. There should be some view, established by the community, about what they want on what is considered by many people as an important issue.

Taylor suggested the idea of a referendum following the application for licence renewal for the Private Shop, in Kew Road. At the licensing sub-committee meeting, Taylor claimed the initial granting of a licence six years ago had been flawed and had been approved in spite of public objection. He asked that a renewal not be granted.

However, Councillor Brian Miller, chairman of the sub-committee, said:

We found this a very difficult decision to reach and had to discuss it long and hard. If this had been a new application the committee wouldn't have granted it outright. However, as it is being treated without objection, or complaints reported to the authorities and no complaints from the general public other than the interested parties [here tonight] we feel, given the circumstances, the only course open to us is we shall have to continue to grant the licence with the existing conditions.

Since 2004 the council's regulatory committee policy is the appropriate number of sex establishments within each ward is nil but it can not be used retrospectively to close existing shops.

Once the new localism bill is passed later this year, residents could force a referendum by submitting a petition signed by 5% of local electors on a relevant council issue.

A licensed adult shop has won the right to display mannequins in the window, as long as the display doesn't involve anything naughty.

Adult World in Islington Green, Islington, has also been given permission to stay open until 10pm rather than 8pm, following the new rulings made at an Islington Council meeting on Wednesday.

Owner Gary Best asked the council for permission to remove the opaque film on the windows which prevented passers-by from seeing in. Best assured Islington Council that Adult World sells high-quality underwear on the ground floor, while the basement, where customers can buy films, is the only licensed area of the store.

The licensing hours, which Adult World also inherited from Clone Zone, restricted trading until 8pm Monday to Saturdays. Best wanted the shop to be allowed to stay open until 10pm and to trade on Sundays.

Two residents and local Labour councillor Martin Klute wrote letters of objection to the council about the bid to change the licence.

But Best said: We've had a couple of complaints and have taken 18 DVDs which are for sale in Virgin and HMV away. We've taken away business to make people happy. We have to ask people to leave the shop at 8pm because they often come in after work, which is where our request for longer hours comes from.

Councillor Tracy Ismail (Liberal Democrat), who chaired the meeting, said: We could add a condition to the licence that only clothing is displayed in the window - no mannequins with whips in their hands or anything naughty - and no kind of 'attachments'.

The committee agreed that Adult World could stay open from 10am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays, and from noon until 8pm on Sundays including bank holidays, but excluding Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

They also agreed that the opaque film on the window could be removed, and window displays permitted, as long as they involve non-adult merchandise only. General goods must be located at the front of the shop, with the adult area and the general goods areas clearly defined.