Anger at plans for a new lap-dancing bar

A COMMUNITY leader has vowed to march his people to the doors of County Hall in Truro if plans for a new lap-dancing club in Newquay are approved.

Dave Sleeman, chairman of Newquay Town Residents' Association (NTRA), is urging locals to sign a petition against an application for Kiss Gentlemen's Club, in Bank Street.

Nightclub owner Jane Hawkey has applied for a sexual entertainment venue (SEV) licence for the premises, formerly occupied by Halos, and would rent the building from its owner, Bradley Miller.

She told the Cornish Guardian she would prefer not to comment on the proposals until a decision had been made, but added she was "hopeful" it would be given the thumbs-up.

Mr Sleeman said he had "no confidence" in Cornwall Council's Miscellaneous Licensing Committee after members granted an SEV licence for Wild Cherry on Beach Road last year – despite huge opposition.

And he issued a call to arms to locals who did not want to see another lap-dancing club in the resort, which he said could "ruin three years of hard work".

Mr Sleeman was on the front line in 2009 when dozens of Newquay residents marched on County Hall demanding the town be cleaned up.

Speaking at a residents' association meeting last Thursday, a defiant Mr Sleeman said: "I'm disgusted with the licensing panel. They are not fit for purpose.

"We need to go and fight this. There's no point in giving up and pulling back because then more [lap-dancing clubs] will start. If it comes to the push we have to get a demonstration going and go to County Hall and complain about this licensing committee because it's totally useless."

Mr Sleeman, who is also a town councillor, said residents of Truro had experienced similar difficulties while trying to block a sex shop located between a school uniform and fancy dress shop.

Handing out objection forms to around ten members of the NTRA at last week's meeting, he said: "The people of Truro are as fed up with that committee as we are."

The documents, which will be forwarded to Cornwall Council, outline the reasons behind the protest, including concerns over public safety and the protection of women and children.

It states: "Clients of this establishment, aroused by the excessive sexual nature of the dancers are, after they have left the premises, deemed to pose a threat and menace to females walking through the town."

This newspaper has previously reported that police have never established a clear link between lap-dancing clubs and sexual offences.

However, a senior figure at the county's Women's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre said: "You've got to ask yourself why people go to lap-dancing clubs. The answer is to get sexually titillated.

"If anyone can think that all this, watching women gyrating in the flesh, is not going to have an impact on how people view women and how they are in their relationships, I think that's crazy."

The final paragraph of the NTRA's objection form states: "Newquay Safe and the police have fought hard to regain the reputation of our town and the granting of an SEV licence for Kiss will once again cause much damage to the reputation of our town as a family resort."

Inspector Ian Drummond-Smith said he was still collecting information and had not yet decided if the police would object to the application.

Residents have until April 2 to make their views heard.