Bosses deny lap dancing plan for club
Friday 16th October 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Bosses at a Greek restaurant in Shrewsbury, which has been given permission to open as a private lap dancing club, today vowed they would not use the licence to hold lap dances.
Instead Eden Club — which will be at the site of the Stelgreco restaurant in Castle Foregate — will simply be run as a members’ club for singles or couples who are over 25 and enjoy an evening out in a “safe, convivial atmosphere”.
Bosses said the club would be for men and women, with Stelgreco expected to remain open as a restaurant until the end of 2009.
Earlier this week, licensing bosses confirmed to the Shropshire Star that permission had been granted for a change of use to a restaurant, wine bar and private members’ nightclub and it had received approval for a new premises licence also allowing it to stage occasional lap dances.
A statement released on behalf of applicant Stelios Kakkindiris today said the licence allowed for an option to hold occasional lap dancing evenings – but said this would not happen at the club.
The statement said: “It was only ever an option and Stelios Kakkindiris has no intention of holding lap dancing evenings at Eden.
“Eden Club is proposed to be a members’ only club for both men and women, single or as couples, who are over 25 and enjoy an evening out in a safe, convivial atmosphere.
“They will be charged a nominal annual fee to cover the costs of membership cards and administration.
“Stelgreco will remain open as a restaurant until the end of 2009.”
The statement said the drinks licence for the site has been restricted to 2am during weekdays and 3am during weekends.
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Rubbish!!!
….why did the “bosses” apply for the license then!!!
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Then why apply for it?
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A members club, yikes will they be rolling up one trouser leg and wearing leopard skin hats.
Very sad and a complete waste of time.
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i can’t imagine this post will get through moderation but….
when Eden Club applied for the variation on their licence, it includes adult regulated entertainment…..as standard
the buttermarket has the same licence.
from what i can gather the shropshire star have merely put 2 and 2 together and come up with 5.
its an outrageous act of lazy journalism and there should be a retraction and apology.
The poor guy wants to keep trading until Xmas, but his business has been tainted by this story.
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It’s not like me to stick up for the press and I will be surprised if my post will get through moeration either, but here I go.
In this instance I feel the newspaper have not put two and two together. Private members clubs are synonymous for one thing. I’m a business man and if I wanted to open a nightclub in a town that had enough already I would want and need a unique selling point to survive. The membership system would not be enough on it’s own.
The only thing that the owners have denied is the lapdancing. Probably due to pressure they have not denied anything else yet.
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“from what i can gather the shropshire star have merely put 2 and 2 together and come up with 5″
The Shropshire Star usually get it right…there’s no smoke without fire!
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Well said Simon, bosses should seek legal advice on the matter.
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Simon you’re spot on with the licensing legislation. In fact the Government have proposed that premises will have to apply for a separate licence soon specifically for ‘sex entertainment’, whether they are established or starting up as new. Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 is currently going through a transition period and is likely to fully amended under the Police and Crime Bill by the end of the year.
So I would say to the people who posted the responses above that they need to check their facts before making ill informed judgements. As for membership only, it’s got nothing to do with funny trouser legs and leopard skin hats. Most night clubs have a voluntary membership policy which allows certain privileges to members like being to able to avoid queues, access to VIP lounges etc. I know Stelios Kakkindiris wants to extend this policy to all of the Eden Club attendees to make sure that no people get in who are likely to cause trouble. It’s as simple as that.
Stelgreco has suffered from the bad publicity and people have cancelled table reservations. I wouldn’t be happy if it was my business, would you?
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The shropshire star has zoomed in on what is a small part of this application and tried to taint an excellent restaurant, along with taking the purpose of the club completely out of context. Its exciting and good to know a new place will be opening to provide alternative places to go for the over 25′s, in a town which is completely lacking in quality establishments. i look forward to the opening!
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old news now……move on!!! far more important things happening in our town than an dingy club…
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