Sponsored by
Fight to stop sex shop bid hots up
PROTESTERS in the picturesque village of Sawtry have vowed to hold a public meeting as they step up their fight to stop a sex shop opening.
Some residents in Sawtry, near Peterborough, say they are outraged after licensed sex shops chain operator Cocktails Ltd applied for a sex establishment licence to open a shop at the derelict site of a former Little Chef, off the A1(M) Great North Road, and which has been abandoned for several years,
More than 40 members of the public turned up to a special meeting at Huntingdoneshire District Council on Wednesday to find out more about the licence application.
Afterwards Councillor Dick Tuplin said it was now planned to hold a public meeting, likely to be August 25, although time and location have yet to be agreed, to allow as many villagers as possible the chance to have their say.
Cllr Tuplin said there was a fear that not everyone had heard about the plans as the news seemed to have only been passed through word of mouth.
He said: “The application notice was put on a door at the site that was hard to get to and then just a public notice in the paper.”
The council can only refuse permission for a licence if it decides the venture is inappropriate to the character of the locality or to the use of nearby premises or if it is not appropriate to the layout character or condition of the premises.
Cllr Tuplin added that moral objections could not be used by the council to refuse a licence and protesters would probably object in terms of locality,
“The shop will be at the entrance to the village as you come off the A1 junction 15 and we wouldn’t object if it was somewhere on the motorway but no one wants Sawtry to become synonymous with a sex shop.”
MP for North West Cambridgeshire Shailesh Vara said he had already met with the leader of the district council and its head of planning and said he would be supporting the village all the way.
He said: “I am totally against this establishment.
“This is Sawtry and this is not the right sort of place for such a shop and I will be meeting with residents to see what help I can give.”
However, bosses of Cocktails Ltd, which operates 23 ‘sexy superstores’ called Pulse & Cocktails across the UK, said their store will create five retail jobs, in addition to the jobs created locally for the renovation of the derelict premises.
Director of Pulse & Cocktails Clair Boothby said target customers were couples and the stores were designed with a female friendly atmosphere.
She said: “We require a licence at all of our stores to enable us to stock and sell a good range and variety of marital aids and lingerie to our customers.
“The premises in Cambridgeshire are located adjacent to the A1(M) motorway and not actually in the village of Sawtry itself.
“The premises have been derelict for a number of years and our intentions are to invest in the refurbishment of the premises to improve its general appearance and transform it into a modern, retail outlet.”
The council is inviting public views on Cocktails Ltd’s plans and to view the application and for more information visit www.huntingdon-shire.gov.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Isis
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 01:40 PMThere is a sex shop at the top of my street. Never had any trouble. I don't see what all the fuss is about.
Lads Excellent in Training
Saturday, August 14, 2010 at 06:45 AMSo, the aptly named councillor wants to drive away a small business from his community does he? I wouldn't worry, I doubt whether people would be able to stand the embarrassment of going there. Sawtry I mean, not the sex shop.
hedge
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 12:00 PMwhats all the fuss about you get more to complain about on the box and in the papers each day as for the 'entrance to the village' excuse rubbish leave the motorway at the junction then you have to turn left at the roundabout which take you AWAY from the village no where near the school and if the nimbys only knew half what goeas on in the local woods and behind the bike sheds they would all have a cardiac. is sawtry populated by a load of mary whitehouse clones (god rest her soul) you dont have to shop there if you are embarresed and dont want your neighbours to know that you have a kinky side then use the internet and postal service what a load of whingers. give the planning permission or better still turn the dissused building into halfway houses for the homeless addicts and imigrants and see what happens when that application is recieved
Dalek Sec
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 11:48 AMI don't see what all the fuss is about. It's just someone trying to make a living. ANY new ventures should be backed in these tough times!
Holly Golightly
Friday, August 13, 2010 at 11:22 AMThe older ones gets the less you worry about such things. However whilst this might be attractive to passing lorry drivers, it is not the type of establishment you want on your doorstep. There is a similar one in an old Little Chef at Sandy, I am told, on the A1 next to a petrol station. Perhaps roadside locations are convenient to men as they travel up and down the country. Ann Summers seems to cater for most adventurous ‘normal couples’ and ebay we are told can provide most things also. Therefore there is no real need for this as Mr and Ms Pervert can get items delivered to their front door by means of the Royal Mail. I think the name is wrong also.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.