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The Soho Beach House, in Kilburn, was closed by licensing chiefs last year |
There’ll be no more sex at the Beach, just a little lap dancing
Poetry reading and arts among plans of new would-be licensee, but police urge rejection
THE wife of a man who saw his nudist bar closed down by licensing chiefs wants to open up the venue again.
Douglas Ifedha was forced to shut down the Soho Beach Club in Kilburn High Road soon after he admitted it had been the scene of swingers parties where revellers sometimes ended up having sex.
He insisted nobody had paid for sex but councillors ruled he had been “incapable of managing the business”.
Now, a year after it was closed down by a council order, Mr Ifedha’s wife Vivienne Cartner has applied for a licence for the venue.
She wants to rename the venue The Sports and Arts Club and applied for a 24 hour drinks licence and permission to have lap dancing.
Ms Cartner also wanted to host poetry readings, karaoke sessions and quiz nights, and screen live sport.
At a council meeting last night (Wednesday), licensers were due to rule on the application but were told Ms Cartner was abroad.
Her lawyers withdrew the application but said she would enter a new bid when she returns.
Mr Ifedha, who failed in a court appeal to get his own licence reinstated by the council last year, did appear at the Town Hall last night.
“I am the leaseholder of the place and my wife of 10 years has made the application. We are a family, this is a family business.
“She will be making another application when she comes back,” he said after a short hearing. Mr Ifedha said the new venue would be a sports bar and an art gallery.
Talking about the Soho Beach Club before it was closed down last year, Mr Ifedha said: “We have a private function room and that is where people had sex, but it was a swingers’ party. Tickets are sold for the whole night – that’s from 7 until 12.
“It’s a private party for couples. They get drinks [but] it doesn’t include sex for the money. There might be sex going on but we’re not paying.”
Licensing police chief Sergeant Bob Dear called for the panel to reject the new application. “The venue under previous management was very poorly run,” he warned.
And Sergeant Eddie Odita added: “It was obvious that they were continually breaching the terms of their licence and were a very prominent attraction to criminality in the area.”
Lib Dem councillor David Abrahams said neighbours had been disturbed by the bar. Some have written licensing chiefs arguing a lap-dancing club would bring down the tone of the area. |
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