Public asked for views on town's strip club policy
Cheltenham Borough Council says while it cannot take a moral stance over licensing SEVs because they are legal, it knows their presence splits opinion in the town.
It is proposing to bring in a limit of two SEVs in a designated area of central Cheltenham.
The council says it cannot impose a "nil limit" as venues would be able to call on a legal exemption.
The nightclub Under the Prom is regularly granted a license to operate a SEV when there is horse racing at Cheltenham Racecourse.
The borough council says it is better to have licensed venues operating legally as unlicensed SEVs pose a risk to performers and the public.
One of the proposed changes is to extend the designated area within Cheltenham to include a greater section of the Promenade.
Another change would be SEVs being confident their licenses would be renewed on application if there is no "significant change" to the character of the local area.
However, the borough council also plans to introduce a limit of two SEV licenses for the town centre - there is currently no limit.
Councillor Victoria Atherstone, borough council cabinet member for safety and communities said it was important to "ensure safety for all, across all venues in the town centre".
She said the council did this by regulating and licensing their activities.
"Adopting a nil limit throughout the entire borough would not stop such [SEV] businesses from operating, as they would use an exemption that allows any business to operate a SEV, legally, without needing to inform the council or needing to get a licence.
"This is not the safest way to operate and historically our licensing committee has voted to oversee and regulate, rather than allowing such businesses to operate unlicensed and unregulated."
The public has six weeks to share its views on the council's policy, which will then be in place for three years.
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Strip club granted licence during Cheltenham races
Women's groups speak out over strip club licence
Include us in lap dancing debate, say performers
Cheltenham Borough Council
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sexual entertainment venue could open in Glasgow city centre
A sexual entertainment venue (SEV) could be opening in Glasgow city centre. KAAGO HOLDINGS Ltd has applied for an SEV licence to operate at Diamond Dolls on Mitchell Street. If granted, the venue will operate from Monday to Saturday from 11am to 5am, and Sunday from 12.30pm to 5am. Anyone wishing to object or make representations must do so in writing to Glasgow City Council by July 23. Submissions should specify the reasons behind the objection, as well as the name and address of the person submitting. These should be sent to licensingenquiries@ More information about the proposed venue can be found online at
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Businesses welcome changes to motorway junction
Businesses close to a motorway junction, which is being upgraded to having full access in both directions, are welcoming the £229m scheme. The Secretary of State for Transport gave approval for the project at the start of June, with work due to start in early 2026. It will allow traffic to join and leave the M5 in Gloucestershire at junction 10 both northbound and southbound. Ruth Powell from Elmwick Camping said her customers have to make the journey to them "through an awful lot of traffic" because they can't currently rejoin the motorway where they left it. She added visitors coming from the north will most appreciate the improvements to the junction. "Getting off at Junction 10 is really easy for them. "But when they want to go southbound they have to either drive back up to Tewkesbury to Junction 9 and then turn around, or go down to Junction 11 [through Cheltenham]." Michael Cassidy, director of nearby brewery Clavell and Hind, says there will be short-term pain for long-term gain. "We feel it will be a good thing for our business in the long run," he said. "It will help transport links into the local area. Obviously there will be some short term disruption but we're quite positive about it. The roads around here definitely need some improvement." As well as the motorway junction upgrade, the scheme also includes widening the A4019 Tewkesbury Road, and a new link road connecting the A4019 to the B4634 in west Cheltenham. Cheltenham Borough Councillor Alisha Lewis says this is vital for the 5,000 new houses that are due to built in the area. "We mustn't just think about the residents who currently live in Cheltenham but all the residents who will move into and become residents of Cheltenham, like the Golden Valley development. "It is a fantastic new neighbourhood with great new homes, great new schools and great new facilities, but without the transport infrastructure it simply wouldn't work. "Junction 10 is a big part of the puzzle," he added. However Charmaine Smith, the owner of the Uckington Layby J10 breakfast van, says the scheme will mean the end of her business, which she has run with her husband for more than a decade. "It's our livelihood. It's how we pay our mortgage," she said. "To be just suddenly told one day it's going to go, we can't just close the business down and go elsewhere. We've been here for the last 14 years and built up a customer base." Public information events are set to be held during the summer, with construction getting underway from spring 2026. Completion, the council said, is expected in 2028. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Plan for phase two of cyber park near GCHQ revealed
The second stage of a cyber security centre planned near GCHQ has been unveiled. The Golden Valley development aims to confirm Cheltenham as the UK's cyber capital. Property developer HBD and Cheltenham Borough Council unveiled the project's second phase, including the launch of the newly named "I/O Buildings", at a CyberUK conference event held earlier this month. Councillor Rowena Hay, leader at Cheltenham Borough Council, said the CyberUK event offered the "perfect opportunity" to showcase phase two of the project. The first phase of construction is the cyber park itself, which includes 1 million sq ft (93,000 sq metres) of commercial space, a car park and bus stops for services to Cheltenham Spa railway station. Work could begin by October if Cheltenham Borough Council approves two key applications, which include feedback from public consultations, this summer. The two I/O Buildings (INPUT and OUTPUT) are a key element within the second phase of Golden Valley and will provide space for leaders and innovators to work together, the Local Democracy Service reports. More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire INPUT is intended to foster collaboration between education, business and government, focusing on academia, skills and talent. OUTPUT will seek to bring together industry peers to shape the future of technology. The building will create space for quiet focus and provide state-of-the-art facilities for business. Ed Hutchinson, managing director of HBD, said: "Work is due to begin on site later this year so it's great to be able to share new CGIs of the scheme, including the I/O Buildings within phase two, and bring the development to life." Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden included Golden Valley within his keynote address at the CyberUK conference. "We're already making some big investments, like the billion pounds going into the new state-of-the-art Golden Valley campus near GCHQ's Cheltenham office. "That site alone is expected to create 12,000 jobs and be home to hospitality, retail businesses and 3,700 new homes. It's all growth." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. How will a £1bn cyber park affect locals? Cyber development to receive £20m from government Cheltenham Borough Council CyberUK HBD
