Romeo & Juliet's

Plans have been unveiled to open a sex shop in the centre of Wellington. A planning application has been submitted to Telford & Wrekin Council seeking permission to use 1A Vineyard Road as the sex shop.

The owners of Romeo & Juliet's sex shop in Ketley Business Park are behind the application.

However, nutters predictably claim the proposal is “inappropriate” and “unnecessary”. Wellington Civic Society chairman Ross Vickers said he would be objecting to the application: This is completely inappropriate for the area because there are a lot of schoolchildren passing by and it's in a residential area.

Wellington Chamber of Commerce president Dave Riley said: We are here to encourage all types of businesses into Wellington. If they are perfectly legally, legitimately-operated businesses then we have no right to make any moral judgement against them...WHAT I WOULD SAY... perhaps serious thought needs to be given to this location, particularly as it's close to residential areas.”

Objectors have until May 2 to make representations to Telford & Wrekin Council. A council spokesman said today: We can confirm we have received an application for a sex establishment licence.

Licensing chiefs have given the go-ahead for a sex shop to open up in Wellington despite scores of objections to the proposals from town nutters.

Telford & Wrekin Council had received letters of opposition to Nicola Dicken's bid for a licence to operate a sex shop at 1A Vineyard Road.

But members of the council's licensing panel today decided to allow Mrs Dicken to open after discussing the issue behind closed doors for nearly two hours.

The shop will only be allowed to open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 6pm and Thursdays from 9.30am to 8pm.

No advertisements will be allowed outside the premises apart from the shop name, any goods or displays should be discreet and tasteful, and the interior of the shop should not be visible to passers-by.

Mrs Dicken, who already runs Romeo & Juliet sex shop in Ketley Business Park with her husband, Roger, said she was “over the moon” with the decision.

Mr Dicken said: Telford & Wrekin is obviously a forward-thinking council and they have come to the understanding that licensed sex shops can play a part and do have a place in society.

He told councillors the proposed location was a mixed use area and they had not had any problems when they had operated a sex shop at Trench Lock industrial estate, which was also near homes and a children's activity centre.