The strip club opened in Kingston in 2018
A South London strip club is asking for its licence to be renewed, but with conditions allowing one less security guard.
Fillies Kingston has to apply for a licence renewal every year, as it is a sexual entertainment venue, but faced a resident’s objection this year.
The resident’s objection meant Kingston Council held a hearing into the application on Thursday (April 23), where the Licensing Committee heard from the club’s managers.
The resident’s objection, submitted ahead of the hearing, claimed noise from the venue, on Kingston High Street, was “unbearable” and had woken them up late at night. The resident did not attend the meeting.
Damon Wellman, Manager of Fillies Kingston, said he was shocked by the objection as staff worked hard to make sure the venue was not noisy. He said the council did not have any record of noise complaints from the club over the last three years, while the Met Police had made no objections to the licence renewal application.
Mr Wellman said: “I understand objections but we are a fair, democratic society. Freedom of choice, within the legal framework, includes ideas and decisions that may oppose some individuals’ personal morals.”
The club’s application to renew its licence requests the same timings and conditions as before, except to reduce the requirement to have four door staff at any one time to three.
When quizzed by councillors about the proposed change, Mr Wellman said having four door staff was “a real overkill”. He said he was not aware of any incidents involving police at the club since it opened, while all staff members had security training.
He added: “We’re at a point where we just don’t need four members of door staff. It’s totally unnecessary and obviously everybody’s tightening their belts.”
The venue currently has permission to open between 10pm and 3am on Mondays to Thursdays, and from 10pm to 5am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The council will publish its decision on the application in the coming days.
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