Weymouth bingo club owner confirms they won't have strippers seven days a week
He has also promised problems with noise, litter or rubbish collections, will be dealt with, personally
The new owner of Weymouth’s bingo club says too much has been made of the claims that it could have strippers seven days a week.
Peter Brown says the most young men might be shedding their kit for ladies’ nights is a couple of times a year – no more than when the previous club was operating.
An objection to that type of entertainment was one of the comments made over a new licence application for the former Buzz Bingo on Crescent Street which asks for the building to continue being used for bingo – but also asks for permission for live music, drinks, dancing and strippers.
Mr Brown told a licensing panel hearing on Friday that the former club held similar events, without problems, before it closed over a year ago.
During the hearing he made promises to neighbours than any problems over noise, litter or rubbish collections, would be dealt with, personally.
He said his company, Brown Leisure, trading under the name Leo Leisure and based at Eastleigh in Hampshire, was a family operation which cared about its clients and those living near to them.
The hearing was told that he had invested a six-figure sum to upgrade the site and was looking forward to running afternoon and early evening bingo in the town.
His legal representative, Julia Palmer, said that almost all the clients were 30 to 60-plus, almost all women: “a demographic not normally associated with late-night disturbances and anti-social behaviour,” she said.
Average audiences for main bingo sessions at the new club are being estimated at between 100 and 150 with 30-40 for the afternoons. Most tended to play and leave with the majority on the later session going home around 9pm.
Mr Brown said that he wanted to keep the drinks and entertainment licence for later than that to cater for the few people who might want to stay on for a drink with friends and for special events such as Christmas, New Year, Valentines, a summer special and occasional other celebrations.
He said the strippers were “nothing like the Press made it out to be’ and would be extremely infrequent, “a bit of a comedy thing.”
He told one of the objectors that switching to draught lager would result in less noise from emptying bottles into recycling bins and he would arrange collections of rubbish and recycling at times not to disturb residents or people staying in nearby guest houses and b&bs.
Said Ms Palmer, on behalf of Mr Brown:
“This club has been running for about 40 years. There is no evidence of issues before and there is unlikely to be any now.”
The application had led to three objections from Weymouth residents and the town council, although the town objection had been withdrawn after reassurances about operating hours and rubbish disposal.
Panel chair Cllr Emma Parker said the decision would be announced this week.