A lap dancing bar in Liverpool city centre has had its licence to operate reinstated.
An application for a sexual entertainment venue (SEV) licence at Dreamers on Victoria Street has been granted by Liverpool Council. Having previously been awarded terms for more than 10 years to stage lap dancing, the licence awarded to Gareth Kim Yuan Loh expired on March 30, 2020, following the lockdown imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.
A fresh application by Meshach Harris was signed off by the city’s licensing committee this morning, which also deferred plans by a second lap dancing bar to renew its SEV. Considering Mr Harris’ application, the committee was told the bar would seek to open from 8pm to 5am daily, with lap dancing recorded as the primary entertainment being staged.
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No objections to the plans had been received by the local authority, nor were any comments made by Merseyside Police. The forms of “relevant” entertainment commonly understood to be connected with SEVs are lap dancing, pole dancing, table dancing , strip shows, peep shows and live sex shows.
There are currently five other premises in the city centre that operate under SEVs, with the maximum number allowed being eight. Carl Bruder, licensing agent on behalf of Mr Harris, said the applicant had expected the original SEV licence to transfer over to him upon him taking the lease of the property.
Mr Bruder said a refurbishment worth £150,000 would go into the venue to provide for up to 80 patrons a night. The committee heard how between 10 and 15 dancers would perform each night, with at least three security guards required on duty, one of whom must be female.
Andrew Blackmore, Liverpool Council licensing operations manager, informed the applicant that unlike other venues he had visited, the female security guard must not also be one of the dancers. Mr Bruder described the application as a “rekindling” of terms originally granted prior to 2020.
The committee has halted plans for a licence to be granted at the nearby Erotica venue on Stanley Street. Applicant Howard Gwynn had sought to secure a licence for the location to put on lap dancing, pole dances, table dances and strip shows from 10pm to 6am daily.
The application was put in as Erotica’s proprietors are extending into adjoining premises that back onto Temple Court. The entrance to the premises will remain on Stanley Street and the existing licence would be surrendered upon fresh terms being granted.
However, owing to confusion over the plans and changes being made to the venue, committee chair Cllr Christine Banks said a decision would be deferred until April 26. She said the committee could not make a decision until the changes were “in black and white.”
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