Lap dancing could controversially be introduced into a Burnham-On-Sea High Street night club if a proposal submitted to town planners gets the go-ahead this week, Burnham-On-Sea.com can reveal.
Shakers in the High Street, pictured, has requested a variation to its licence in order to open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays and also introduce occasional lap dancing.
The proposal is made all the more controversial because the night club is situated in a building previously used as a Quaker chapel.
Two formal objections have already been lodged against the proposal and others are likely to follow in the coming days.
The proposal was confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com by Nick Plumley, licensing officer at Sedgemoor District Council, on Monday.
He said: “Shakers has applied to vary its opening hours and also introduce occasional lap dancing. While it’s proposed that the dancing be held on an occasional basis, if it was to get approved, the club would probably be able to hold it frequently.”
The controversial plan is already raising eyebrows among residents and councillors in the town.
Former Burnham-On-Sea Mayor Cllr Louise Parkin told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Monday: “You have two different sides here – those who want the town to stay an old, quaint, slightly behind-the-times place and those others who want it be brought up to the minute.”
“However, do we want everything that comes with modernisation? Personally, I would like to see Burnham stay the place it is.”
“It’s certainly not the sort of thing I had ever dreamed of seeing in Burnham. To my mind, it if were allowed it would be downhill from there.”
She added that because the club backs onto a residential area, local people are also concerned about noise from the extended opening hours.
“It currently does not allow re-entry after midnight, but they are applying to have that invoked in anticipation of the smoking ban. People would be able to go out and have a smoke and get back in – but that could well generate a lot of noise in the early hours of the morning.”
The proposal is set to be discussed by town councillors at a planning meeting in the council chambers on Tuesday evening (April 11th).
RELATED LINKS:
Shakers night club set to re-open in April
