Council agrees another strip club (From Watford Observer)

Council agrees another strip club

2:28pm Thursday 1st October 2009 in News By Neil Skinner

Another bar has won permission to offer its customers live strip-tease and lap-dancing shows – just weeks after councillors gave the green light to another adult club.

The Vintage, in Market Street, has won permission from Watford Borough Council to operate exclusively as a lap-dancing club.

Members of the council’s licensing committee had been due to rule on an amendment application from the club this morning but called off the meeting when all formal objections raised by officers were withdrawn.

The decision means the club, which currently operates as a conventional bar with adult shows upstairs, will now offer risqué entertainment on both of its two floors six days a week – becoming exclusively a strip and lap-dancing establishment open until 3am in the morning six days a week.

Owner Dean Adams told the Watford Observer that his application for increased hours and was influenced by the High Street’s Vogue club, which recently won a high profile battle with the council to offer adult entertainment.

After that decision Councillor George Derbyshire, who sits on the licensing committee, said: “The committee feels that a sexual establishment of this nature is not supportive of the council's policy for creating a family friendly town centre and regrets the lack of discretion available to it when considering applications of this nature.”

Mr Adams, however, stressed the club would not upset its neighbours. He told the Watford Observer: “I run a very tight ship and a very clean one. I’ve owned the club for seven years and we’ve got the lowest crime record in town. We’ve offered lap-dancing for quite a while upstairs so we’re really not changing that much.”

What do you think? Are you worried about the expansion of adult entertainment in Watford Town Centre? Let us know by commenting below.