Cheltenham Festival strip club opposed by locals

Residents are opposing plans to open a strip club during race events.

Red Apple Associates Ltd want permission to run a sexual entertainment venue at Jessop House during the Cheltenham Festival.

The company also wants permission to open the strip club to coincide with other race days in Cheltenham throughout the year.

More than 35 people have objected to the proposals and 49 letters were sent in support of the scheme.

The venue used to be based at the 2 Pigs in Church Street but opened for race week at Jessop House earlier this year.

The previous licence is due to expire on 6 February 2024 and a new application to vary it was submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council.

Among those against the proposals is justice secretary and Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk.

"Locating a sexual entertainment venue near to residential properties where children can be expected to come and go would be wholly inappropriate," Mr Chalk said.

The Nelson Trust, which helps women who have often turned to sex, drugs, drink or crime, because of traumatic childhood experiences, has also objected to the licence.

"The longer a woman has been stripping, the more likely it is she will be selling sex," the trust said in a statement.

However, an unnamed performer said they have worked for Eroticats for many years and fully support the event.

"I've worked all over the country and would say that Eroticats is the most organised, safe and enjoyable company to work with - second to none," they said.

"Without licensed venues it removes that added layer of safety and reassurance that everything is above board and regulated.

"I would like to say that as dancers we are often judged and portrayed in and by the media, we are being spoken for and not to enough and we feel like our voices don't matter when ultimately, when it comes to welfare, our safety, our choices in how we earn our income, ours should be the only ones that matter."

Cheltenham Borough Council's licensing sub-committee is due to consider the proposals on 18 December.

Plans by the same company to hold events at Under the Prom at 109 Promenade for three nights during Cheltenham Racecourse's were approved in October.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]