'Relentlessly noisy' Leeds lapdancing club in 'residential' area applies to stay open

Two city centre lap dancing clubs are hoping to continue their operations after submitting applications for consent to the council.

Purple Door, located at 5 York Place in Leeds, has faced objections as it seeks to renew its licence. Liberte, another club situated at 10 York Place, has also applied to Leeds City Council as part of an annual review process for venues categorised as sex establishments.

A licensing report revealed that two public objection letters were received in response to Purple Door's application. One objector expressed concerns about the street becoming increasingly residential and therefore unsuitable for lap dancing clubs.

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They wrote: "The noise from the bouncers and patrons outside is relentless, often going on until around 4am."

Interestingly, no objections were raised against Liberte's application by either the public or the police.

In 2013, the council conducted a review of sex establishments and concluded that the city centre could accommodate a maximum of four such venues. Licences would not be granted near locations with "sensitive uses", including youth clubs, women's refuges and places of worship.

Explicit advertising of these venues is prohibited and licence conditions are required to ensure the safety of workers. The clubs are permitted to operate from 10pm-4am, Sunday to Thursday, and 10pm-5am Friday and Saturday.

Both venues provided details of their safety procedures as part of the application process.

TRL Promotions, the company behind Liberte, stated: "This sexual entertainment venue licence has been renewed on many previous occasions, following contested and uncontested hearings.

"We are not aware of any issues or enforcement actions that would suggest this venue should not be granted a renewal of its licence."

The applications are set to be reviewed by a council licensing sub-committee on Tuesday, December 3. The councillors will have the options to renew the licences, refuse them, or grant consent with additional conditions.

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