A second lapdancing club could open in Southend as early as next week – despite strong objections from campaigners and neighbours.

Southend councillors have voted to allow Entice to open in Warrior House, in Southchurch Road.

Alastair Weatherstone, who already runs Katz, in Time Square, Basildon, and Diamonds and Strings, in Watford, is promising it will be Southend’s first upmarket, London-style club.

He told the council’s licensing committee the club would target a small, exclusive clinetele of high-spenders, rather than trying to draw in hundreds of clients.

For this reason, Mr Weatherstone argued the club would not cause problems for people with homes nearby.

He added: “It’s like going to London for a show. People don’t see it as seedy any more.

“It’s not just men coming in on their own. We’ll be offering a more upmarket venue than the others in Southend.

“Ours will be more of a London-type club, where people pay a premium on admission and drinks. We don’t see ourselves competing with the others, because our clientele will be different.”

The council received four objections to the licence application, including suggestions the presence of a lapdancing club off Southchurch Road would make life difficult for women walking past.

Three other venues in the town have council sexual entertainment licences – one lapdancing club, Sunset, in Lucy Road and two pubs, the Foresters’ Arms, in Marine Parade, and the Cornucopia, in Marine Parade.

Mr Weatherstone told the committee customers would pay a total of between £120 and £150 during a night at his venue.

At his Watford club, one customer had gone through an eyewatering £17,000 last week.

The new club is licensed to open seven days a week, between 9pm and 3am, but Mr Weatherstone said he would not open during the early part of the week.

In response to concerns raised about dancers smoking outside in Southchurch Road, the licence limits the number of smokers outside at any time to two.

Labour ward councillor Julian Ware-Lane, who is not on the licensing committee, strongly opposed the application, Mr Ware-Lane, who is also the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Southend West, said: “It’s madness putting it in there.

It’s a location where young families will be walking all of the time. It’s very close to the High Street, which is looking to attract families, as well as a bus stop, a pub and health centre.

“I think there should be a business park with places people who like to indulge in gambling and these type of clubs can go and do that type of thing without it being thrust in our faces.”

Halstead Gazette:

Sunset - Southend's other strip club, in Lucy Road

 

FOR AND AGAINST

AGAINST

Alistair Cullis, campaigner

I’m a builder. I’m not some sort of feminist crusader, but I’m speaking out against this because I believe women should be given equal chances in society.

This is the 21st century and what contribution does this make?

Statistically, rapes increase around strip clubs. The figures prove that.

I feel the decision had already been made. Most of the committee is made up of old men. It’s disgusting they should to vote on women’s issues.

This will be the fourth venue of its kind here.

What kind of message does that send out? It doesn’t do anything for women’s rights. I don’t know how you can have a high-class, sleazy club.

FOR

Alistair Weatherstone, owner of Entice

We are seeing a shift in culture over the past few years. It’s trendy for people to go to strip clubs, and we are seeing more women as customers, too. It’s a different form of entertainment – our clubs are also used for hen dos.

To my knowledge, I have not had any complaints of heckling from anyone outside our clubs. If we did, we’d ban the people responsible.

We tend to have an older audience. That leads to less trouble. I’ve managed bars and you get trouble every week.

Here, you will be looking at a small number of people spending high, rather than filling the place and having people spending £20 each, like you get at the nightclubs.

 

Objectors - we feel unsafe walking past strip joints

One of the objectors to the new strip club’s licence was a woman who said she was attacked outside a similar venue.

The woman, who asked not to be named, spoke out at the licensing hearing, telling councillors: “I have been heckled and berated by people standing outside strip clubs.

“As a woman walking past these venues, I would not think ‘it’s nice inside, I don’t feel threatened’.

“I was attacked by someone leaving a strip club. Having to see my friends change their lives so much by taking different routes home is messed up.

It’s messed up that the desire to have a sex venue in Southend outweighs the desire for women to feel safe.”

Another objector, a woman from the Essex Feminist Collective, who asked only to be named as Helen, said: “I love Southend, but do you honestly expect people to be spending thousands on a strip club here when they can go into London?”

The application was supported by the entire licensing committee, with the exception.