Strip club licence renewed without objection for first time

The club's licence will come up for renewal again in September 2023

A strip club in Bristol has had its licence renewed without objection for the first time since the council chose not to ban strip clubs in the city.

Urban Tiger's application sailed through at Bristol City Council's licencing committee on Wednesday.

The club, in Broad Quay, is one of a maximum of two allowed in the city centre under the council's policy.

The other is its sister venue Central Chambers. The licence for that venue is due to be decided on 8 December.

In July, councillors voted to allow strip clubs to continue operating in Bristol.

The council's licensing sub-committee heard Urban Tiger was run impeccably, the performers were safe and all arguments against its existence had been proven groundless.

No objections

The club's barrister Philip Kolvin KC said that since the council took over regulating sexual entertainment venues (SEVs) following a change in the licensing laws in 2010, the authority had rigorously applied its rules and policies, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said it was the 10th time Urban Tiger's SEV renewal had come before the sub-committee, and the seventh since it was taken over by the Hales, LDRS said.

Central Chambers strip club's licence will come up for renewal on Thursday, 8 December

Each time members had granted it on each previous occasion despite strong opposition from women's rights groups, he added.

Mr Kolvin said: "There are two distinguishing features this year - firstly, there are no objections from anyone at all - no public authority, no business, no individual, no agency concerned with safeguarding, nobody.

Gentlemen's club

"Secondly this hearing comes hot on the heels of probably the widest SEV consultation ever conducted in the UK."

He said the Hales family - which own both clubs - "positively embraced" the regulations because they wanted to maintain the highest standards and protect those who worked and visited their establishments.

The club's licence was renewed for another year on Wednesday

Mr Kolvin said one change to the premises this year was to remove its moniker "gentlemen's club".

He said: "There are more women, couples and gay people coming in, so they did not want that gender exclusivity because it may be taken by women and non-binary customers that they are not welcome here, whereas they are very much welcome here.

"And a number of women take the view that it's one of the safest venues in Bristol to visit because it's one place you're not going to be hit on."

'Safest venues'

He said concerns that Urban Tiger caused antisocial behaviour or crime and disorder in the area had also been dispelled and that it actually made the city centre safer with its security staff, CCTV and radio links to the late-night economy.

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Mr Kolvin said old accusations that performers were being harmed or exploited were refuted by the dancers themselves.

"One aspect of feminism is (that) women should have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies," he said.

The licence permits "full-nude lapdancing, full-nude striptease on stage and full-nude pole dancing" and will be renewed until 16 September 2023.

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