'Shrewsbury's answer to Spearmint Rhino' - County's first lap dancing club gets go-ahead

Mike Page, manager of Source Bar in Shrewsbury, says the business will open a new "Gentleman's Club" at Barker Street next month.

Mr Page had applied to Shropshire Council's licensing committee for permission to host more lap-dancing evenings, from 9pm to 3am on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The club already had a licence to run lap dancing evenings on Thursdays.

Mr Page said they were thrilled to have gained permission.

He said: "We are delighted with today's outcome. Shropshire's only lap dancing venue will be opening on February 11 which is a Valentine's weekend.

"The venue entrance will be situated between KFC and Source Bar and it will be known as 'The Gentleman's Club'.

"It will not affect the current Source Bar, which will continue to trade as a normal bar being completely separate to the lap dancing business."

He added: "The Gentleman's Club will be a premium venue offering premium ladies and premium drinks for both elite male and female customers. This will be Shrewsbury's answer to Spearmint Rhino."

The proposal has attracted previous criticism from Shrewsbury Town Councillor, Andrew Bannerman, who represents Quarry and Coton Hill.

Back in December he said: "I have talked about this with the police and residents and I think there is a big distinction to be made. It is one thing to have occasional performances of this kind on a Thursday night – that was the original licence.

"Now it is talking about three nights every week. I think that is a big difference and I have in fact discovered there are only three places licensed for this kind of performance in the West Mercia police area.

"The other two are in Warwickshire so we are setting ourselves up in Shrewsbury, by inference, as a sex entertainment capital this side of Birmingham. I think that is a very different matter and I do not think that is the kind of image this town wants to put out to the mass of people in the Midlands."

Councillor Bannerman has also voiced concerns about linking the drinking industry and the sexual entertainment industry.

He said: "I think that there is potential for unfortunate and possibly damaging incidents because what we are now doing is mixing the sex entertainment industry with late-night drinking culture on three nights a week."