Norwich strip club owners hit back at phasing out plans

Norwich City Council has been cracking down on the sexual entertainment industry and recently revealed its intention to work towards a target of having no such establishments.

There are currently four licensed venues in Norwich and while these will not be required to immediately close their doors, it is expected that once they do, there will be no replacements.

Simon Goodings and Daz Crawford, the owners of Sugar and Spice in Prince of Wales Road, have described concerns among councillors about the safety of these venues as "unfounded".

Sugar and Spice in Prince of Wales Road (Image: Sugar and Spice) Currently, the four licensed venues in Norwich are Sugar and Spice, Entice and Pure Gold, all located in Prince of Wales Road, and Platinum Lace in Dove Street.

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The proposals to eventually have no venues in the city have led to criticism from business owners who say the authority is being "too uptight" and creating a "hostile environment" for their clubs.

While the council has raised concerns about the safety of dancers and customers at these venues, new data has revealed that it has received no complaints about them in more than ten years. 

Members of Norwich City Council will meet on Thursday to discuss the changes. 

Norwich City Hall (Image: Newsquest) Mr Goodings and Mr Crawford said in their official objection to the plans: "We have grave concerns about the implication that sexual entertainment venues have a detrimental effect to safety and wellbeing in the community. This is unfounded."

The council was taken to Norwich Magistrates' Court in September after the duo appealed a decision made by councillors to forbid dancers from sitting on or straddling customers at Sugar and Spice.

This was due to concerns about the extent of contact between dancers and customers and the changes were intended to maintain boundaries and avoid the "blurring" of lines. 

Nevertheless, the court ruled in favour of the club bosses after hearing from the performers, who said they had never felt unsafe at work.