Agenda item

An objection to the renewal of the sex entertainment venue in Weymouth has been received and must be heard by a Sub-Committee prior to determination.

The Senior Licensing Officer introduced the report. She informed that one representation had been received from a member of the public who did not think the licence should be renewed. She explained that members must consider that the premises had been in this location for 10 years and apart from the 2021 renewal it had never come to a committee.

The 2021 previous renewal application had come before Councillors for determination because there was one objection from a member of the public who had bought a property in the area and did not know that the premises was there. It was subsequently renewed after consideration by the Licensing Committee.

There had been no objections from the local Ward Member, Town Council, or the Police. The officer outlined the mandatory grounds under which a licence would be refused and the discretionary grounds on which a licence may be refused. She suggested that none of these grounds applied in this case. The Officer confirmed that the premises was currently opening from 10pm to 5am Friday and Saturday.

The applicants, Mr J Ojla and Mr T Ojla were given the opportunity to present their case. The company had been operating a SEV premises for over 20 years. The premises had been licenced since 2011 and they had taken over the operation in 2018. The company has 5 sites across the UK with 200 performers and 50 staff members. They informed that all premises maintained a high standard of management. Throughout business operations there had never been a SEV renewal refused. Mr T Ojla referred to the fine imposed due to a lack of an HMO licence and explained that they felt they were let down by their agent. They accepted the fine and applied for a licence as soon as they were aware of the need to do so.

The applicants added that the poster and signage had no nudity or explicit content and the silhouette on the sign was suitable and tasteful. The premises was located behind the esplanade and not directly on the sea front and the premises was of a discreet nature. With reference to the Equality Act, Mr T Ojla informed that there was no evidence that people were being lured away from their partners as a result of the premises.

Mrs Stockwell, who had submitted a representation presented her case. She objected against the renewal of the licence on the grounds of suitability of applicant, the location of the premises and matters relating to equalities. Regarding the suitability of the applicant, she referred to a financial penalty that had been imposed on one of the Directors of the Applicant company for failure to obtain a licence for a house in multiple occupation (HMO), and the possible breach of one of the conditions on the previous licence that prevented nudity being shown on any advertising on the exterior of the premises. She felt that the location of the premises was unsuitable as it was close to the beach and the esplanade. She was concerned that the funding for regeneration of parts of Weymouth area would be impacted by the proximity of the premises. She also expressed concern that the venue only employed female performers and whether this was in accordance with the Equalities Act 2010. She believed that the premises did not promote good relations between the sexes, as women might feel uncomfortable walking past men who had been sexual stimulated and drinking.

All parties were given the opportunity to sum up and have their say.

Decision:

To RENEW the sexual entertainment venue licence for Wiggle with all the conditions from the previous licence applied.