Lap Dancing in Bedfordshire

A 'nil policy' that would ban the licensing of sex establishments in the town centres of Central Bedfordshire is out for public consultation from 10th June.

Central Bedfordshire Council cite a telephone survey of 1,123 residents resulting in 63% of respondents saying they did not believe licences for sexual entertainment venues should be granted in their local area. More specifically, the results revealed that at least 80% of respondents were opposed to sex entertainment venues operating in the vicinity of religious buildings, schools, residential areas and places frequented by children and families.

The council has proposed a new morality policy that would ban licences for sex establishments being granted within 500m of more or less anywhere frequented by children.

Councillor Brian Spurr said:

As part of our aim to make Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work, we're keen to ensure the character of our towns are preserved and that our high streets remain places where all members of the public feel safe and keen to spend time.

This draft policy demonstrates our commitment to protecting families and that we've listened to residents' opinions given in the telephone survey. We now want to consult the public more widely, to understand their views on whether the level of strictness of the draft policy is appropriate.

The consultation period runs between Monday, 10 June and Friday, 30 August 2013.

Currently there are four premises in Central Bedfordshire that require a sex establishment license:

• Waterside Bar in Leighton Buzzard
• Shayler's in Ampthill, previously reported as reverting to a standard nightclub
• Happy Lovers/Adult Pit Stop. A licensed sex shop in Sandy
• Secrets Lingerie. A licensed sex shop in Dunstable

The feedback from the consultation will be presented to the Licensing Committee on Friday, 6 September 2013, where a final decision will be made.

A lapdancing club that provoked 'outrage' in the Bedfordshire town of Ampthill has ended the lapdancing. The club will now become a standard nightclub.

Shaylers, which opened at the end of November, announced this week on its official Twitter account that it would be relaunching on Friday as a nightclub with no dancers.

A lap-dancing club has opened in the centre of a Bedfordshire market town despite widespread nutter opposition.

A small protest was held outside Shayler's Club in Ampthill on Friday night as it opened for a VIP event.

Councillor Brian Spurr said in the end the council had no choice but to grant it a licence. He added that conditions had been imposed on the club before it could open, including no advertising signs, and its manager - John Shaylor - had kept to his promises.

I'm just hoping that people don't actually go there, then it will close, said Spurr.

Shayler said earlier this year that his purpose was not to upset the people of Ampthill but to put a building he owned back into

Offsite Review: So what goes down at Shayler's

8th December 2012. See  article from  bedfordshire-news.co.uk

There was something unnerving about being frisked at a heavily guarded back door in the pitch black of night.

I'd already passed four six-foot-something bouncers who had told me that Shayler's, the highly controversial strip club in Ampthill, was in business and would cost a pricey £ 20 to get in.

... Read the full article

Hundreds of nutters gathered in the centre of a Bedfordshire market town to protest against the prospective opening of a lap-dancing club.

About 700 Ampthill residents met to give a petition to a representative of Central Bedfordshire Council, signed by over 2,000 people. Approximately a third of the town's population have signed a petition opposing it, saying it is out of keeping with the Georgian town's high street. They want the successful application for a Sexual Entertainment licence to be revoked by the local authority.

Mark Dear from the We Love Ampthill group said:

It is quite frankly the wrong place. It's a residential area, it's a gateway to the town, it's opposite a toy shop and adjacent to a children's ballet studio, I can't think of a less suitable place.

The council said it understood the strength of community feeling but its hands are tied by licensing regulations . Council leader James Jamieson said councillors:

concluded that none of the grounds on which the licence could be refused had been met. This left them with no alternative but to grant a licence. We will do everything in our power to make sure every single one of the conditions laid out in the licence is strictly enforced.

Update: Nutter tries to shove her morality issues into the lap of David Cameron

18th October 2012. See article from theyworkforyou.com

Nutter MP Nadine Dorries brought up the subject of lap dancing in Ampthill at Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament:

Nadine Dorries (Mid Bedfordshire, Conservative):

Recently, a lap-dancing club in Ampthill, a rural market town in my constituency, has been granted a licence. The one thing that residents of Mid Bedfordshire have learned is that it does not matter whether it is a Wembley-sized incinerator or a lap-dancing club in a beautiful market town, the wishes of local people have absolutely no weight in planning law. Does the Prime Minister agree that it is time we amended planning law, so that, when catastrophic applications come forward that blight the environment people live in and which greatly distress them, their views and voice are heard?

David Cameron (Prime Minister; Witney, Conservative):

My hon. Friend speaks for many people about the frustration that the planning system can sometimes deliver. I would make two points about where we are making progress. First, we have changed the licensing laws to give the planners greater power to alter licences, and I believe that that can apply to the sorts of premises to which she refers. Secondly, of course, under our plans, people can write neighbourhood plans, which give far greater control to residents over the shape of their future community. I encourage her, however, to take up the specific issue with the Department for Communities and Local Government, to see whether there is more that we can do.

Plans for a lap dancing club in the centre of the Bedfordshire market town of Ampthill have been approved by councillors.

Residents in the Georgian town had objected to the plans - saying they were not in keeping with the area.

Central Bedfordshire Council have imposed the condition that there must not be any signs, related to the entertainment on offer, outside the premises.

Plans for a lap dancing club in the affluent market town of Ampthill have caused the inevitable 'outrage' among residents.

Lord John Shayler submitted the application on June 15 to Central Bedfordshire Council for a Sexual Entertainment Licence in Church Street.

Shayler who had previously ran a cafe and restaurant at the location said he's hoping to bring a Coyote Ugly vibe to town. Shayler said:

Like Walt Disney I want to create that Disney World bubble where people turn up miserable and leave with a smile on their face. I want to bring a bit of magic to people's lives. The residents of Ampthill are all prepared to haul me over the coals before they've even heard my plans.

It's something I've been considering for 18 months and anyone who asked me what I'm doing with the place in that time would have heard me say 'I'm opening up a lap dancing club' but it will be more like Coyote Ugly.

There aren't going to be naked woman walking around Market Square. Anything like that will be in the basement of the club and you would have to pay for the privilege. I'm not opening this for the people of Ampthill I'm opening it for me.

Residents have until July 14 to give their representation to the council regarding the application. Ten or so objections have been submitted so far.

A nightclub in Watford won permission to offer customers striptease and lap dancing, despite the council's nutter aspirations to create a family friendly town centre.

Members of Watford Borough Council said the decision to grant Vogue permission to host adult entertainment felt like wearing handcuffs, tied by the Licensing Act 2003.

Under the law, applications can only be rejected if they are judged to be in violation of four licensing objectives. These are the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.

Speaking against the application, Neil Fitton, of Elm Court, whimpered: Because of the large number of people who already visit Watford to various other establishments, I think this will cause additional visitors in an overcrowded area where it could give rise to alcohol-related violence. Due to the nature of activities, it could also give rise to intimidation and harassment of other females that are out in town.

However, Julian Skeens, representing Opal Leisure and Neil Campbell, owner of Vogue, offered to reduce the venue's maximum capacity to 150 people from 240, and said it would not be a place where people get drunk , referring to its minimum pricing policy for alcohol, where a beer costs £4.

Skeens revealed that at the venue, all patrons will be seated at all times, with waiter service at the bar. There will also be private dancing booths and a VIP area with a dancing pole, alongside the main stage.

Conditions were imposed on the licence. These include those contained in the premises' operating schedule; a code of conduct for dancers drawn up by the venue; that the licensee shall not allow distribution of flyers containing photos or other images which suggest that strip tease or similar entertainment takes place on the premises and which may be offensive; and the maximum capacity of the premises shall be limited to 150 whilst adult dancing is taking place.