No to lap dancing at Thirst Lodge, Pennyfarthing Place, Oxford

Goal : 752 / 1000

We the undersigned object to the granting of the licence on 10 December 2009 that allows Lap Dancing at the premises currently known as Thirst Lodge. We petition for this licence to be withdrawn on the following grounds:

1.Prevention of Crime and Disorder
Research suggests that there is a link between the location of lap-dancing and the number of reported rapes and sexual assaults in surrounding areas.

2.Prevention of Public Nuisance
Thirst Lodge already causes significant disturbance to neighbours because of noise and people congregating outside the club.
Customers of lap-dancing clubs tend to arrive having drunk elsewhere and then drink in the clubs. Men will leave, often in groups, sexually stimulated and likely to engage in behaviour that causes women to feel threatened.
Women report feeling intimidated in the vicinity of lap-dancing clubs – there are reports of women being propositioned and insulted.
People returning to their cars parked in the Westgate Car Park will walk past the club.
Owners of businesses tend to regard lap-dancing clubs as detrimental to the reputation of the area. Oxford City Council and others are working to improve this area of Oxford and the proposed club is likely to work against that.

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information

2010-02-14 05:17:21Added on:

2 years ago 

katharine.halls By:

Justice, rights and public order In:


Petition target:
Oxford City Coucil

 

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crime and disorder, lapdancing, oxford, public nuisance, thirst lodge

 

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21/2/10
orie
@ joellaox4 - many thanks for your reply. I've had a look through the 2007 report. It cites Eden, 2003, which Eaves appear to have removed from their website, which is a pity. I can't in fact find any evidence that reported rapes increase in areas surrounding lap-dancing clubs. The police data you mention seems to be for the whole of Camden, and doesn't really seem to justify making any link to the clubs. I'm not saying there may not be an increase in rapes, and I'm strongly opposed to lap-dancing clubs; it's just that I'm loth to put my name to an assertion I can substantiate. I'd love to see the original data or research.
17/2/10
joellaox4
@ orie - agree that there should be links to the research cited. I'm guessing it's the research cited in this research from the Lilith Project: http://www.eaves4women.co.uk/D...

See also this Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl... - the corrections and clarifications at the top include figures from the Metropolitan Police.
17/2/10
joellaox4
@ Mike - To quote from Natasha Walter's recent book 'Living Dolls: the return of sexism' (p 40) - "the way that lap dancing clubs have been classified in licensing laws since 2003 means that such clubs do not have to register under the same regulations as sex shops, but are simply treated in the same way as bars or restaurants [...] an unintended consequence of plans to simplify licensing laws, the effect has been to make it almost impossible for local authorities or concerned residents to do anything to prevent lap-dancing clubs opening". However, recent changes mean that from April they will be classed as sex establishments and councils will have new powers to remove licences on grounds that they are inappropriate to the area. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/...
17/2/10
orie
I would like to sign this petition, but feel unable to do so in good conscience, as I have not seen the cited "research" and "reports of women" to whose existence I am being asked to attest. PLEASE PROVIDE LINKS!
16/2/10
mike
Do you not think that maybe a council body tasked with lap-dancing licensing might have considered crime and disorder when granting the licence? I would hazard a guess that they can do better than unnamed 'research suggests'...

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