Lapdancing club faces stiff opposition to licence renewal

A Birmingham lap-dancing club is facing opposition from local residents over its application to renew its licence.

The operators of the Legs 11 venue in Broad Street, Clear Blue Sky Thinking, have applied to Birmingham City Council for the renewal of its Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) Licence.

Since the original licence was granted, the club has undergone minor changes to its exterior signage, however, the council has said the changes remain consistent with the usual requirements.

However, the application has attracted criticism from residents opposed to such a club operating near their homes and they have submitted their objections for consideration by today’s licensing and public protection committee.

A report to the committee states: “The nature of the entertainment as described on the application form is lap-dancing, pole dancing, table dancing, strip shows, erotic and exotic dancing, burlesque dancing. The applicant has confirmed the relevant entertainment involves semi and full nudity.”

The opening hours remain unchanged with an application for 24-hour operation, Monday to Sunday.

The club has outlined its activities in more detail in an etiquette guide to its dancers, which has also been submitted to the committee.

It states that the dancers must pay full attention to their customer at all times. It says they must talk strike up a conversation with their customer as it helps them to relax and makes them feel they are “more than just a £20 note”.

The dancers are also told to get the money for their dance upfront in case the customer can’t – or won’t pay. There is pole dancing as well and the girls are told in a rule book to make their stage show “sexy, exciting, entertaining and erotic”. All dancers are told to wear dresses until midnight and these should not be transparent or too short.

The dancers are told it is forbidden to fraternise with customers and neither should they exchange contact details due to concerns over solicitation. Drugs are not tolerated but the dancers are told they can drink in moderation.

Dances will normally last for the duration of one song, usually around three minutes, During the dance, the customer is not permitted to touch the dancer. After completing the dance the dancer is told to kiss the customer on the cheek and thank them.

The objection states: “We wish to oppose the granting of this licence. Broad Street and surrounding streets are becoming more and more residential areas. A move obviously encouraged by Birmingham City Council with the granting of planning permission for several large residential developments.

“We want the area to be safe and friendly to everyone who visits or lives in the area. This includes families with children visiting the Crescent Theatre and the SeaLife Centre and business people staying in hotels in the area.

“We wish to encourage Broad Street to be a safe friendly area for all visitors and therefore oppose the renewal of this licence.”

Both parties have been invited to make representations to the committee.

The council said it did not take a moral stance on the matter. It said it recognised that Parliament had made it lawful to operate sex establishments and that such businesses were a legitimate part of the retail and leisure industries. The council said its role as licensing authority was to regulate such premises in accordance with the law.  

The cost of a new licence is almost £4,000.