Three strip clubs in Cardiff city centre have secured permission to continue operating for at least another year, despite strong opposition from campaigners and local residents.
Dusk Till Dawn, For Your Eyes Only and the Playhouse Gentlemen's Club, all located on St Mary Street, had faced calls for the renewal of their sexual entertainment venue licences to be denied. Glenn Nicie, managing director of the three clubs, successfully argued for the licences to be renewed.
Objections raised at meeting
At a meeting on Wednesday, activists, members of the public and the deputy leader of the council all objected to the renewal on grounds including changing political attitudes, the changing character of St Mary Street and the objectification of women's bodies.
Piers Warne, the solicitor representing the clubs, said the character of St Mary Street, which he called a "hub for hospitality" and the "heart of the night time economy in Cardiff", had not materially changed in the last decade. He argued that the objectors "offer no evidence that the three clubs create a cumulative problem in the area".
Mr Warne also described the entrances to the clubs as "discreet" and said people would "miss the doorways if you weren't looking for them". He said extensive safeguards are in place at each club to protect dancers, other staff and patrons from harassment and other abuse.
Opposition from council and campaigners
Cllr Sarah Merry, Cardiff's deputy leader, argued that strip clubs contributed to a culture of misogyny towards women, many of whom, she said, did not feel safe walking through St Mary Street at night. She rejected claims that the character of the street had not changed, saying that there was "probably not an area of Cardiff that has changed more over the last 15 years". The deputy added that such clubs have "no place in Cardiff in the year 2026".
Another objector, who gave her name only as Helen, said the presence of such clubs on a prominent street made women and girls uncomfortable. "A woman's sense of comfort and freedom in a public space matters in its own right," she said. "What type of city centre do we want in our capital city?"
Miz Jakubovic, campaigns lead for the women's charity Filia, said that the majority of women surveyed by the charity in Cardiff were against the clubs and that women she had spoken to said the clubs made them feel "unsafe". She said: "Women's safety is not a moral issue or a political issue."
Resident Bronwen Davies said the clubs "belong in the dust bin with page three and pin-up calendars", while another objector, Kate Owen, said the clubs operated on a "business model founded on sexual commercialisation against women".
Reaction after the decision
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Ms Jakubovic said: "Obviously we are disappointed that the renewals were approved, but we are really glad for the time [the committee has] taken to listen to women's experiences in Cardiff city centre and that women's safety and equality was considered by the chair, the panel and the committee."
Mr Nicie said: "I think the committee came to the right decision." He also stated that he would be open to strengthening the existing safeguards in the clubs to further solidify the safety of the dancers and female patrons.
