A lap-dancing club has won a partial victory in its bid for longer opening hours.
Under new regulations, bosses at Club Forin, Colchester, sought and were granted a premises licence extending its hours from 11am to 3am the next morning.
But after hearing residents' objections, borough councillors decided Sunday opening shoud remain at the current noon to 12.30am.
Richard Porter, representing owner Adnan Ademoglu and manager Tashkin Vaskfi, said the club had been subject to nine pages of conditions since it was granted permission for lap dancing in 2002.
Only two noise complaints had been made since 1992, and that was before sound-proofing had been installed, he added.
Customer controls included a drug search policy, age checks and CCTV.
"It is an environment where everyone can enjoy themselves, but it is a highly-controlled environment," he told the licensing committee.
But Dimitri Murray, chairman of the Dutch Quarter Association, said the vast majority of its 600 member households were against the proposal.
"They bear the brunt of alcohol use and violence," he said.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Monday, September 12, 2005
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