Epsom strip club has 3am licence approved despite police objections
9:17am Thursday 9th February 2012 in Where I Live By Lauren May
Epsom strip club has 3am licence approved despite police objections
A strip club has had its alcohol licence extended to 3am despite objections from the police.
Stir, in East Street, Epsom, was granted permission to extend its licensing hours from 2am to 3am on Friday and Saturday nights, despite police enforcing a blanket objection to any town centre venue applying to vary or extend its licence past midnight in a bid to reduce night-time disturbances and alcohol-related crime.
A total of three clubs in Epsom now hold a licence until 3am at weekends.
The decision by Epsom and Ewell Council has been called “ludicrous” by Epsom and Ewell Liberal Democrats as the council later agreed to a community safety action plan at an environment committee on January 23, to control alcohol-related crime in the town centre.
Leader of the Epsom and Ewell Liberal Democrats, Councillor Julie Morris, said: “On the one hand the council recognises there is a problem and the action plan will work toward trying to reduce some of the alcohol-related crime, but on the other hand the licensing committee is still giving permission for later and later hours for alcohol sales even though the police and the planning committee object.”
Opposition councillors said Epsom town centre already ranked among the highest areas for alcohol-related disorder in the county.
But Damon Wellman, manager of Stir, which has had no complaints in the past three years, said his club was not to blame and believed an increasing town centre population had inevitably led to increasing complaints from residents.
He said: “The issue has come about because unfortunately every square millimetre in the town centre has been converted into residential flats. That then causes a problem with your night-time economy because you can’t have a thriving night-time economy with a residential area, it just doesn’t work.”
Surrey police’s Epsom and Ewell licensing officer Dave Hodges said: “Surrey police, along with the local authority, residents and businesses, are looking at the licensing policy for the town on an ongoing basis in an attempt to reduce the incidents of disorder associated with late night licensing in the town.”
A spokeswoman for Epsom and Ewell Council said: “At present the licence has not been granted as the applicant and Surrey police may appeal against the sub-committee’s decision to modify the conditions of the licence.
“An appeal must be made within 21 days from Friday, January 30.
“We are unable to fully comment on this application until February 21, or until any appeal is heard.”
