A WEYMOUTH ‘gentleman’s club’ will continue operating – after its application to renew its sexual entertainment licence met with a single objection.

The un-named objectors, who have recently bought a seafront property to use as a holiday let, failed to appear at Thursday’s hearing into the licence renewal for the Wiggle club in New Street.

In a letter to Dorset Council the married couple claimed that the club would encourage poor behaviour, would increase noise volumes, particularly late at night, and “be detrimental to society in the local area.”

Councillors on the licensing panel heard that the club, where nude dancing is allowed, had never caused problems and had always been operated well, within the guidelines.

Neither the police nor the council’s licensing team had objected to the renewal for the licence, which has been in place for a more than ten years. 

Cllr Kate Wheller told the hearing that she had been on the panel when the business was first registered in 2010 and had found a visit to the establishment “interesting”.

She told the meeting that although she was often out in the town late at night for her voluntary work as a street pastor she had never heard any noise from the premises or been told of any problems.

She told the online panel meeting that she was reassured the club had good policies in place to protect the women who worked there with “a high degree of care” for the performers, both on the premises and when they finished work.

The Weymouth business has been owned since 2018 by a company with four similar venues – two in Portsmouth and one Southampton and Bournemouth.

The premises has a capacity of 130, but the owners say they usually keep numbers to no more than 50.

Solicitor Jon Wallsgrove said that over the years the present owner had successfully applied for more than 60 renewals for his clubs and had never had any refusals, each being renewed annually, although there had been occasional public objection.

He said the clubs were well regulated, had security staff in place and used extensive CCTV coverage to ensure customers complied with all the rules, including no touching and not approaching any of the performers.

“No conduct which is untoward is permitted...the venue does not get improper conduct, but if it does it has the means to deal with it quickly should it occur,” he said.

Mr Wallsgrove said he believed the objector on this occasion must have believed, wrongly, that the licence was for a new premises – pointing out that their objection letter was contradictory, claiming the area was quiet and peaceful, but also worrying about noise.